Christmas in Arendelle
by TwistedTelepath
Summary: Christmas is coming to Arendelle, and everybody has plans this holiday season. Elsa is busy with an impressive young king from a neighboring kingdom, Anna plans on finding out more about her relationship with Kristoff, and Olaf is bent on finding the one called "Santa Claus." {Elsa/OC. Kristoff/Anna. Pure holiday fluff. Continues after Christmas.}
1. The Northern Isles

**A/N: Oh yeah! I decided to write a Frozen fic, centered on Christmas and other fluffy things. Don't worry, nothing totally serious going on her, just some Elsa/OC and Kristanna with a twist. Ooh, and let's not forget Olaf's subplot. All will be revealed more clearly soon!**

**For now, just enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to Frozen, I just own King Henrik and Lady Yvonne.**

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_Chapter 1: The Northern Isles_

Anna woke up to the sound of bells. She stretched her arms wide, yawning, as she dragged herself out of bed and to her window. She squinted at the gathering haze on the glass and rubbed it with her fist. She peeked out the peephole and saw the brick-paved streets of Arendelle topped with snow, flurries coming down from the sky slowly and gracefully. People were conversing in the streets, and a group of them were caroling, ringing bells as they walked down the street. She gasped, smiling.

She realized that it wasn't another out-of-the-blue snowstorm created by Elsa. It was December, and it was close to Christmas. She didn't know whether it was five or ten days away from Christmas, or even weeks. She felt filled up with excitement that this was the first Christmas she was spending with her beloved sister and new friends. Spending time with Elsa was new to her ever since July. She now was aware of her sister's power over snow and ice, and she wasn't afraid. Everything that was once rocky and awkward between them had been resolved, and now she got joy from seeing her sister in person every day ever since.

Another upside to this year's Christmas was spending it with Kristoff. Just thinking about Kristoff gave Anna butterflies in her stomach and a smile on her face.

She grabbed her robe and fastened it around her waist. She opened the doors of her bedroom and jumped out into the hallway, giggling happily, and zoomed down the hall to her sister's bedroom. She didn't bother knocking. She rushed right in to see that Elsa was still in bed, sleeping without a sound. Anna went to her window and yanked open the blinds, letting sunshine into the room. Elsa winced in her sleep, and then opened her bright blue eyes nonchalantly. Anna laughed and went to her side.

"Merry Almost-Christmas!" she said cheerfully, swinging her legs as she sat on the bed.

"It's not Christmas, yet, Anna," Elsa mumbled, sliding a loose strand of her white-blonde hair behind her ear as she rose from her pillow.

"That's why I said 'almost,' silly! It's beautiful outside," Anna said, "When are the guests going to start to come? Wait, how are we going to fit them all in the castle? How big is the Christmas dinner going to be? Like, super-big or moderate? Ooh, are we going to start decorating—"

"Anna," Elsa chastised, smirking.

"Sorry," Anna told her awkwardly. "Just curious."

Elsa sighed, sitting next to Anna now. "The guests are from the Northern Isles—hopefully they won't be planning to kill any of us." Anna smiled weakly, memory of Hans coming to mind. "The crowned king is visiting along with his niece. Only two bedrooms, perhaps. And the Winter Ball isn't going to be big. We begin decorating when our guests come."

"Is the king some grumpy old guy? I _really _don't want to try to be nice to some grumpy old guy, especially if he's anything like the Duke of Weaseltown." Elsa smiled at Anna's ranting.

"He's nothing like the Duke of _Weselton_ . . . I hope."

"You hope? So, you didn't bother getting to know more about the Northern Isles? He could be a psychopath. Maybe not even him; maybe it's his niece who's sick!" Anna exclaimed.

"Anna, relax. No one from the Northern Isles is conspiring and mentally ill, of that I can assure you." Elsa got out of her bed easily. "I'll meet you downstairs at nine. The Northern Isles royal family will be arriving at noon. Kristoff can come along if you'd like." She raised her eyebrows, waiting for her response.

Anna bit her lip and nodded, the butterflies coming back to her. "Yes, I'd like."

Now Anna _had _to be the first to ask Kristoff if he'd like to join them. Bidding her sister farewell, she hurried to the place she figured Kristoff would be: the palace stables. He always visited Sven in the morning, and he'd feed him carrots. It may have been a few months since he had begun staying with her and her sister in the castle, but despite the upgrade, he was still the same. Anna admired that.

Just like she hoped, Kristoff was with Sven, both chewing on carrots. She breathed to herself and ran her fingers through her red hair to make sure it'd stay down, as she hadn't made time to brush it since she woke up fifteen minutes ago. She walked up to the two, smiling.

"Good morning," she greeted, her voice trembling. She coughed, acting like it was nothing. "So, what's going on?"

"Nothing," Kristoff answered, shrugging.

_Nothing?_ Anna thought. _Why does he always answer 'nothing' when something is obviously going on? I mean, he could say, 'Chilling with Sven, eating some carrots, how 'ya doing, Anna?' But no. The answer is always nothing. He's so difficult!_

"Hey, I was wondering . . . well, Elsa suggested that, um . . . maybe you'd like to . . . meet the Northern Isles royal family with us at noon? Since, you know, you're like part of our family, so it makes sense for _our _family to meet _their _family . . . 'cause you're like my brother." She laughed, realizing what just came out of her mouth.

_Your brother, Anna? Really?_

"No! Not my brother, but I mean . . . we're really close," Anna stuttered, cheeks red from embarrassment. "So, yes or no?"

"Yeah, sure. The more people, the merrier, right?" he said.

Anna nodded, her smile beginning to falter. "Great! I'll go tell Elsa. See you then." She went to go back upstairs, but ran into the stable wall instead. She held her head in pain, sighing. Kristoff got up and put his hand on her shoulder, and asked, "Are you okay?" His voice was full of concern. Not dull concern, but soft concern.

"Yeah. You know me. Never looking where I'm going," Anna answered, still holding her head.

"Let me see your forehead." She moved her hand and opened her eyes, meeting with Kristoff's warm brown eyes. She smiled with closed lips as he moved his thumb over her forehead, ignoring the slight pain. "Does that hurt?" She shook her head, still in her dream world.

But then reality soon came crashing into her. She still had to get ready!

"Ooh, I better—I better go! I'll see you soon, okay?" He removed his touch from her head and she nodded gratefully. She started her way up the stairs.

**.:.^*^.:.**

Elsa came by the palace entrance, putting on her gloves. Yes, the kingdom embraced her icy powers, but she didn't want to freeze her new guests. She had to make them feel welcome, just as she remembered her parents did when she was little, before they closed the gates. Her handmaiden, Tatia, adjusted the falling tiara on her head, but she waved her hand.

"It's fine, really." She smiled and fixed it for herself. Her hair was cascading down her back in curls today, and her simple navy-blue, long-sleeved dress surely wouldn't make the visitors uncomfortable. She took in a sharp breath.

"My queen, should we open the doors?" a guard asked.

She glanced at Anna, who nodded. "Yes, you may," Elsa said.

The guards opened the doors, and four different guards with gray uniforms proceeded in, two figures in between them. The guards in the front slid out the way. A man, tall and lean, who presumably was the king, looked _way _younger than the Duke of Weselton. He was actually strikingly handsome. He had a clean-shaven face, bright green eyes, ivory skin, and short, well-kept honey-blonde hair, which was quite unusual. He didn't wear a crown, which made Elsa feel silly. She felt her tiara shift, and it was suddenly in Tatia's possession. She nodded thankfully.

The girl beside the king was short, with her brown hair up in a bun in contrast to his blonde hair, sporting an elaborate but small purple hat with lace and a net covering a small portion of her face. Her eyes were gray and her skin was pale, but there was a scar on her cheek, taking away from her beauty. Her matching purple gown had a moderate train, and it was surprisingly not covered in snow.

"Presenting His Majesty, King Henrik and Lady Yvonne of the Northern Isles," one of the guards announced in a booming voice that projected across the room. Yvonne curtseyed as Henrik bowed, placing one hand behind his back and the other by his stomach. Elsa curtseyed in response. "_Her_ Majesty, Queen Elsa and Princess Anna of Arendelle, accompanied by Sir Kristoff." Elsa heard Anna stifle a giggle. She sighed silently.

"It's an honor, Your Majesty," Henrik said, his voice smooth like honey. He extended his hand towards Elsa. She smiled and gave him her hand, shaking it.

"The pleasure is all mine, Your Majesty," Elsa said, a faint smile on her face, thinking of how many times the word 'majesty' would be used over the next couple of days.

"You may call me Henrik."

"Then you may call me Elsa."

The two let go, but Henrik's gentle green eyes were still on Elsa.

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**_Kisses! ~TwistedTelepath!_**


	2. Henrik

**A/N: Credit to JKLMN for correcting me on the whole 'majesty' and 'highness' concept, I'm so silly :P Thanks! **

**Here's chapter 2, and for the record, this story won't be like my other, updating weekly. I'll update daily, I guess, from the looks of it, but I don't even know how many chapters there's going to be, haha. It should be done by Christmas, and I'm thinking of making more Frozen-based fics for the months of December, January, and mid-February, so if you have any ideas or requests, feel free to ask in a review for me, you'll get credit! **

**Okay, unto the story.**

**Disclaimer: Disney owns Frozen and its characters, I just make up the dialogue and stuff.**

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_Chapter 2: Henrik_

After introductions, the guests were shown to their rooms as Elsa tried to piece together everything she knew about the Northern Isles, so she wouldn't look silly in front of the king and lady. According to the information she was just given, Henrik had earned his title to the throne once his older brother and his wife had died in a fire, becoming king and Yvonne's legal guardian. Yvonne had gotten the scar on her face from the fire, being the only survivor. Henrik was crowned at age seventeen, six years ago, and had matured for Yvonne's sake. He was a good ruler to his people, kind-hearted, but stern and serious.

Elsa was sitting in her study, nursing a cup of tea, trying to warm up her cold skin. A knock sounded on the door, making her turn around slightly. To her surprise, Henrik was there. He smiled, his arms folded as he leaned against the door's frame.

"Is it true?" he asked suddenly, raising his eyebrows.

"True?" Elsa repeated, setting her teacup on the table in front of her.

"Is it true that the queen of Arendelle smothered her whole kingdom in snow and ice when it was mid-July, just a few months ago?" His approach with the question was random, but his question itself was quite clear. Elsa nodded without hesitation. She wasn't surprised. Word must've gotten around the country, and people probably had many questions about the queen's powers. "It is true that you have manipulation over snow?"

"Yes."

"Show me."

Elsa raised an eyebrow, skeptic as to what his gain was in all of this, but took off both her gloves, maybe for the rest of the evening, and concentrated. She sent a gust of wind towards the door, closing it, then shot a blast at the ceiling. Fog formed at the top and snow flurries rained down on the young king. He laughed and held his hands out to the sides.

"Amazing," he breathed.

She smiled lightly, thrusting her hand across her, closing her fist, making the snow come to an end so she wouldn't fill up the study with it . . . again. "Thank you . . ."

He drew his attention from the snow to her. He stepped closer. "I know it must be nerve-wracking, having these strangers in your home for the holiday season, even though the Northern Isles and Arendelle have been close partners for generations, but think of me as an old friend, if that helps." He smiled reassuringly and left the study.

Elsa's confusion was written all over her face. So far, she had positive thoughts of King Henrik, but he came off as awfully random, and she couldn't tell if she liked his randomness or not.

**.:.^*^.:.**

Everyone gathered in the Great Hall for dinner. Elsa sat at the beginning of the long table as elegantly as possible. Anna was at her right, playing with her silverware. Henrik was at Elsa's left, looking around the room. His niece, Yvonne, was staring off into space next to him, and Kristoff was beside Anna, looking uncomfortable around the new company, but faking a weak smile anyway. Elsa took in her surroundings as she stood up, holding her water-filled glass high. She had chosen to serve water as the drink because she wanted to make up for shutting her younger sister out for thirteen years and set a good example—she didn't think it was appropriate for an eighteen-year-old princess to be drinking wine.

"I'd like to make a toast to our welcomed guests from the Northern Isles, and thank our chefs for this fine food," the young queen said wearily, unsure of really what to say. Her meeting, so to speak, with the king earlier was still lingering on her mind, and after thinking it over, she didn't know what to feel towards him. It kind of felt like she was ambushed and forced to show him her gift, even though she knew she was overreacting.

"And in honor of the Northern Isles, I would like to thank the lovely Queen Elsa for allowing my niece and I to reside here for the holiday." Henrik turned to Elsa. "The only thing more beautiful than Arendelle so far is you, my queen."

Elsa felt something inside her stir. Boy, he was a flirt. She took her eyes off him and sat back down, clearing her throat. Servers entered the room, trays of food hoisted up on their shoulders. They rested them on the table and bowed before their departure.

As they ate, Elsa couldn't help think about the king's motive. Why was his so charming in his ways? Why was he so nice? The last man who had been so nice was Hans, and look at how that turned out. He had faked Anna's death, pinned it on Elsa, and set out to kill her, too. If Hans was that bad, could Henrik be worse? Could the Northern Isles really be that different from the Southern Isles, after all?

A piercing scream rang out in the room, belonging to Lady Yvonne. Her gray eyes were wide with fright and she began to climb on her chair. Elsa stood up to see what was wrong. There was nothing wrong, she realized. It was just Olaf.

"Hi," he said with a smile. "I'm Olaf, and I like warm hugs."

"What—what is _that_?" the girl screamed, holding herself.

"He's a living snowman, _obviously_." Anna pointed out, rolling her eyes. Elsa nudged her softly, her way of chastising her for sounding rude.

"He's a snowman that I built, using my magic, who was brought to life, and lives with us?" Elsa's explanation ended as a question and she realized how crazy she sounded. She resisted her urge to laugh, seeing that it wasn't the time.

Henrik calmed Yvonne, making her sit back down. Olaf waddled towards Elsa.

"Hey guys, sorry, I'm late. Sven is pretty nuts when he's hungry." he said, his carrot nose falling slowly down as he talked. Elsa caught it before it hit the ground and adjusted it back on Olaf's face, not too forceful. "Thanks."

"You're right on time. Come sit." Anna called, getting a stool from the corner of the room and placing it between her and Kristoff, Elsa secretly wondering why, since she figured the two wanted to be close. Obviously, Kristoff hadn't gotten the memo, either, judging from his bewildered facial expression.

Olaf was immune to the secret tension and just accepted his seat.

"Any other magical beings that I should be worried about?" Yvonne asked, her eyes still on Olaf.

"The trolls are benevolent; they won't harm you," Elsa told her calmly, though Yvonne chose to dwell on the 'troll' part rather than the 'benevolent' part.

"So, Kristoff, are you a close family friend?" Henrik asked, his attempt at making conversation, Elsa guessed.

"It's a very long story, actually," Kristoff said lowly.

"It's fine, I have time."

"Well, see–"

"Ooh, look, it's snowing again, guys!" Olaf shouted out of context, rushing towards the windows to look at the white snowflakes fall from the sky.

"If it keeps snowing, Santa may be held up this year." Henrik told Yvonne, fazed by Olaf's interruption. Yvonne, despite probably being about seventeen or sixteen years of age, sighed disappointedly.

"Who's that?" the little snowman asked.

Yvonne gasped. "You don't know who Santa Claus is?" He shook his head. She gathered up a breath and asked, "May I be excused, Your Highness? I need to reprogram your snowman." Elsa nodded, chuckling. Yvonne got up, beckoning Olaf, and left the room with him.

"That was something," Henrik remarked. His eyes went back to Kristoff. "So, like you were saying, Kristoff?"

Kristoff elaborated on his story, and although the girls had heard it before, Elsa still saw Anna shed a few dramatic tears. Yes, the topic was sad and sensitive, but the way Anna was reacting almost made Elsa embarrassed.

"I'm so sorry I asked," Henrik said finally. There was a dull moment of silence in the room as everyone continued to dine. After everyone finished, Henrik yawned, rising from his chair. "Well, tonight was both entertaining and awkward, so I think it's time I made it to bed. Good night, everyone." He left the room, leaving Elsa puzzled.

"He's weird . . . I like him," Anna said.

"I think I should be heading to bed, too." Kristoff said, getting up.

The hopeless and longing look on Anna's face gave away that something was up between the two of them, and when Kristoff left, Elsa took the opportunity to ask her about it.

"What happened in between this morning and now?" she asked. "You two usually get along smoothly."

"It's nothing," Anna replied, her hand resting on her cheek. Her eyes suddenly flicked up, looking more animated. "What's really the question is: what's up with you and King Cutie?"

"What? Nothing. Why would you suspect there was something up?"

"I don't know, maybe it's that dreamy look in his eyes when he looks at you, and the little flirty comments?" Anna smiled as Elsa faltered.

"He's just . . . interesting . . . We barely _know_ one another; why would there be something between us already?" Anna was about to say something, but Elsa found herself cutting her off. "And don't say it's 'love at first sight.' Believe me, it's not."

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**_Kisses! ~TwistedTelepath_**


	3. Yvonne

**Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to Frozen.**

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_Chapter 3: Yvonne_

Anna was given the task of showing Yvonne to her room and around the castle, and she just kept wondering about the history to the young girl's scar that went from her cheek to up by her thin, dark eyebrow. But the girl looked lovely, besides this mishap. Her gray eyes often sparked with excitement, looking around the castle as Anna guided her, and when she let down her hair from its braided bun, it fell with grace, forming small waves on her shoulders and reaching down almost to her waist.

The lady had an imagination, too. As the two moved along, she would ask Anna 'what if' questions, but they weren't annoying—they were cute and whimsical. But despite the girl's questions, she seemed fragile and gentle, frightened by the slightest sound that went off. Anna felt like they were going to be good friends during this visit, since she could see a few similarities between them.

"So, what's the deal with you and Kristoff? Is he your lover?" Yvonne questioned, smirking. Anna stopped her in tracks, coughing. Yvonne's smirk dissolved and she went back to the princess. "Sorry, too soon?"

"No, no," Anna said, shaking her head with a smile. "It's cool. Umm, we're just really, really close friends . . . who have kissed once or twice, I can't remember." Three times, actually. Once after the eternal winter came an end, another time when the first time was brought up, and a third time, when there was an awful storm—one that reminded Anna painfully about the death of her parents, and Kristoff kissed her cheek to assure her that she was safe. She guessed she could count him as her lover, but the title felt weird.

"Seriously? Just the way he looks at you! You can tell he cares _a lot,_" Yvonne insisted, eyes wide.

"You think?" Anna asked, squinting.

"I _know._"

**.:.^*^.:.**

Minutes after leaving Yvonne to go hang out with Kristoff for the rest of the day until dinner, Anna heard laughter coming from the courtyard. She grabbed her shawl and some warm earmuffs, leaving to go see what was going on. When she stepped outside, she was pelted in the face with a frosty, wet, cold snowball. She shut her eyes closed, trying not to cry, since specks of the ice went in her eyes.

She opened one eye to see Yvonne, changed out of her regal clothes into simpler attire, snow remains on her mitten, her smile falling. She said, "Oh my gosh, Anna, are you okay?" She came up to her, a small frown on her face.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just a little snow," she sighed with a flick of her hand. She opened her next eye and saw Kristoff, a snowball in his hand. Her eyes darted from him to Yvonne, wondering how Yvonne managed to elude her and go hang out with him when she had plans to. She hid her jealousy with a wide grin. "You guys didn't tell me you were going to go outside, I would've tagged along."

"Well, you seemed really sluggish," excused Kristoff, "I thought you would've been resting."

_Resting? I happened to be skipping down the halls all morning!_ Anna screamed to herself.

"Me? I always have room in me for some fun!" Anna persisted, digging half of her hand in a pile of snow. She shaped the chunk into a smooth, round ball and threw it at Kristoff, catching him off-guard. Yvonne laughed along with her as he got ready to retaliate. The three kept up the snowball fight for a few moments, until they were interrupted in the midst.

"Yvonne," a voice called. Everyone dropped their snowballs as an old, bitter guard in gray uniform stood tall at the steps. "The king would like to see you. Stop this nonsense and come meet him."

Yvonne rolled her eyes and shook off all the snow from her lovely brown curls. "I don't like titles." she explained to Anna and Kristoff. She faced the guard. "Yes, Emil, I'm coming, I'm coming." She held onto her red hood and smiled. "I'll see you guys at dinner. Bye!" She jogged up the stairs and the guard gave the remaining two a meaningful glare, and then shut the doors.

Anna was quick to snap. "What were you doing with her?" she asked, a little too loudly, enough to call a few passing people's attention.

Kristoff looked confused. "She was wandering the halls, looking for the courtyard, and I showed her. She's actually really imaginative, in a good way." Anna narrowed her eyes. "What?"

"You could've told me. I'm her escort, not you."

"Why are you being so... weird? Well, weirder than usual? Are you okay?"

Anna stammered for a few milliseconds, but then answered, her tone calm. "Never mind. I'll—I'll see you later." She hurried off inside, before her fingers fell off from the cold.

**.:.^*^.:.**

At dinner, Anna held her fork, waving it back and forth due to boredom. She had felt bad about attacking Kristoff, but she felt excluded. She knew Yvonne was a guest, and they had to treat her with respect, careful not to draw battle lines with the Northern Isles by harming their lady (though, Anna thought she would be a princess, since her father was a king before he died), and make her feel at home, but she was worried that Kristoff would unintentionally be _too _kind with her, and lead her on to something besides friendship. But Yvonne knew there was something between Kristoff and Anna, so she wouldn't fall for him, right? Anna hoped so.

"I'd like to make a toast to our welcomed guests from the Northern Isles, and thank our chefs for this fine food," Elsa said, standing up with her glass full of water. She looked as nervous as the day of her coronation, but why would she be? _She_ didn't have a dysfunctional relationship with a mountain man she met five months ago.

"And in honor of the Northern Isles, I would like to thank the lovely Queen Elsa for allowing my niece and me to reside here for the holiday." King Henrik said. He turned to Elsa. "The only thing more beautiful than Arendelle so far is you, my queen." Anna stared in awe, looking for Elsa's reaction. He was hitting on her.

But Elsa didn't respond. She sat down slowly and the food was soon served before anyone could make any more comments about the scenery. Everyone started to make dents in their portions, but Anna's eyes were on Kristoff and Yvonne, to see if there was any secret communication between them, or any flirting. But Kristoff didn't know how to flirt, she soon realized. There was no way he could suddenly become a womanizer—well, except in Anna's eyes. Seriously, what woman _didn't _want some of him?—and Anna feared that Kristoff didn't know the true extent of his good looks and how they could win over women.

Yvonne soon screamed at the sight of Olaf, who came in the room, cutting the dead silence besides the clinking of silverware and glasses. Elsa stood up to see the damage and Olaf looked oblivious to what was happening.

"Hi," he smiled, "I'm Olaf, and I like warm hugs." Anna bit back a smile.

Yvonne hugged herself, crouching on top of her chair. "What—what is _that_?" she asked, her voice still piercing.

"He's a living snowman, _duh_," Anna said to the girl, rolling her eyes quickly. Elsa nudged her gently.

"He's a snowman that I built, using my magic, who was brought to life, and lives with us?" the queen broke down timidly.

The king calmed his niece down, and Olaf passed around the table, coming between Anna and Elsa.

"Hey guys, sorry, I'm late," he pardoned. "Sven is pretty nuts when he's hungry." His carrot nose was falling slowly down. Elsa caught it before it fell and put it back in its rightful place. "Thanks."

"You're right on time. Come sit." Anna got up and got the stool that was sitting in the corner of the room, placing it between her and Kristoff, so that Olaf could join them. She was discreetly still a little mad at Kristoff, but she knew it was petty anger, and she'd get over it later. Olaf climbed up on the stool.

"Any other magical beings that I should be worried about?" Yvonne asked, still staring at Olaf.

"The trolls are benevolent; they won't harm you," Elsa told her. Yvonne stiffened that the mention of trolls. Anna twirled her single braid round and round, wondering what time it was.

"So, Kristoff, are you a close family friend?" Henrik inquired, maybe noticing the awkward tension in the room.

"It's a very long story, actually," Kristoff said meekly.

"It's fine, I have time."

"Well, see—"

"Ooh, look, it's snowing again, guys!" Olaf shouted randomly, hurrying towards the windows to look.

"If it keeps snowing, Santa may be held up this year." Henrik said, probably directing at Yvonne, who sighed sadly. Anna smiled, wondering how a sixteen-year-old still believed in Santa Claus.

"Who's that?"

"You don't know who Santa Claus is?" Yvonne gasped. Olaf shook his head. She took in an uneasy breath. "May I be excused, Your Highness? I need to reprogram your snowman." Elsa agreed, laughing. Anna felt sick relief as Yvonne left with Olaf. She scooted silently back next to Kristoff.

"That was something," Henrik remarked. His eyes went back to Kristoff. "So, like you were saying, Kristoff?"

Kristoff told his sad story, and Anna couldn't help but sniffle and left a few tears run down her cheeks, though she knew the story already. No one deserved to be separated from their parents at a young age, especially so suddenly. It was insane. And who could not send a search party out to look for their child?

"I'm so sorry I asked," Henrik said finally. The bleak silence gave Anna time to finish her food. After she was finished, along with everyone else, the young king yawned, getting up from his chair. "Well, tonight was both entertaining and awkward, so I think it's time I make it to bed. Good night, everyone." He left the room and Elsa looked bewildered. The king was blunt, but he was cute, so Anna gave him credit.

"He's weird . . . I like him," Anna said finally, smiling.

"I think I should be heading to bed, too." Kristoff said, getting up. Anna's smile dropped and her eyes stayed on him as he left the dining room with a wave. She sighed quietly, feeling like an idiot. Did he think she was a sociopath, now, or just crazy?

"What happened in between this morning and now?" Elsa asked Anna. "You two usually get along smoothly."

"It's nothing," Anna lied, her hand resting on her cheek. She wouldn't tell Elsa about her boy trouble just yet, but she had to ask her about hers. She pepped her mood back up, saying, "What's really the question is: what's up with you and King Cutie."

"What? Nothing. Why would you suspect there was something up?"

"I don't know, maybe it's that dreamy look in his eyes when he looks at you, and the little flirty comments?" Anna smiled at her sister's falter.

"He's just . . . interesting . . . We barely _know_ one another, why would there be something between us already?"

_It's love at first sight_, Anna concluded in her mind. She was about to say it, too, but Elsa cut her off.

"And don't say it's 'love at first sight.' Believe me, it's not."

* * *

**Yay, two chapters in one day! Cool, I guess, right? More spotlight on Olaf in the next chapter!**

_**Kisses! ~TwistedTelepath**_


	4. Tag Teams

**Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen.**

* * *

_Chapter 4: Tag Teams_

"So, he comes every Christmas to deliver presents to everyone who has been good all year long, and those who are bad get coal," Yvonne explained, poking Olaf's stomach, touching the coal stones he used as buttons. He looked at her, dumbstruck. He had no idea that there was so much to Christmas that he didn't know. He might have admitted that he was starting to love winter more than summer...

_Might have._

"But I bet you'd get a present," Yvonne said to him, smiling.

"You said he had little helpers," Olaf said, backing up and sitting on the rug in the room.

"He has elves assigned to work for him. They make the toys, but Santa's the one who adds a special touch." The girl closed her eyes and sighed. "Every Christmas Eve, I leave out a glass of warm milk and a tray of gingerbread cookies for him, and when I wake up, they're gone. It's his way of proving that he has visited." Olaf nodded in understanding. "He has a workshop up north, at the North Pole, I'm sure, but I think it's all the way across the seas. My uncle doesn't think he's real since we can't visit him."

"Of course he's real!" Olaf exclaimed. "Who else has been eating your milk and cookies?"

"Uncle Henrik thinks it's our housekeeper, Karolina, but she says she doesn't, and she never lies to me," Yvonne said. "I think this year, I should stay up to see him, or at least keep an eye out in case I see any signs of him early, so I can prove my friends wrong."

Olaf smiled. "I'll help you find him. I want a present, too!"

Yvonne laughed, nodding. "We'll find him together. We should start tomorrow, when we have more time. Deal?" Yvonne stuck out her hand. Olaf gave her his twig arm, and he felt her shake it gently.

"Deal! For Mister Santa!" he agreed happily.

**.:.^*^.:.**

The next morning, early at eleven, Elsa was coming from the conference when the smell of wet paint drew her attention. She followed it to the source—Henrik's room. She looked through the crack in the door and saw the young man with a paintbrush at hand, stroking delicately with his white dress shirt's sleeves rolled up and a few blots of different hues of blue and white in his honey hair. On his canvas, which was a large papyrus, was a snow-covered landscape, the thick blanket of it looking so real, and hundreds of well-drawn flurries shimmered down from the dark blue sky. A few watery streaks of red and sky blue and green and purple rested at the top of the paper, in the sky, which Elsa took in as the Northern Lights. The painting itself, although it was a work-in-progress, was already a masterpiece in her eyes. Purely beautiful.

Elsa came in the room, knocking on the door and making Henrik turn around. A few tiny splatters of red and purple were on his cheeks and forehead, along with dark circles under his eyes. Telling from this, he was probably up for a long time. He smiled and put his dripping paintbrush on a desk, which was draped with cloth and covered with jars and bottles, some filled with paint and some filled with different-colored waters.

"Good morning, Elsa," he said soothingly, walking up to her.

"Good morning," she said back, still admiring the painting. "Your work is lovely."

He turned back, shrugging. "It's not done yet, so I won't know if it's lovely until I finish. It reminds me of the Northern Isles. I slept underneath scenery like this once. It was dazzling." He turned back to her.

"They let you out of the castle alone?" Elsa asked. "To sleep under the stars?"

He nodded. "It was years ago, when my brother had power. No one really bothered with the odd prince back then," he answered, rubbing the back of his neck. He smiled wider, and Elsa realized that he had dimples. "I'm sorry if the room's a mess. I will clean up every speck of stray paint, I promise."

"It's really not a problem."

"I insist. I may be a guest, but I should treat your home as if it was mine, with respect and care." She smiled at his nobility, but she was still onto what his incentive was. He scanned her up and down. "I'd love to paint you before I return home." Elsa's eyes widened. Henrik shook his head, holding up his hands. "I hope that didn't sound weird . . . or creepy."

"Yes," Elsa chuckled. "But yes, I'd like to be your model."

Henrik smiled, nodding. "I'd love to explore the town for today. Do you think we could sneak away?"

Elsa sighed in thought. The guards, both Arendelle's and the Northern Isles', would throw a fit if their two monarchs played absent for a day . . . and she was shaky about leaving Anna in charge, along with Yvonne, who would probably want her privacy and freedom. But the guards themselves would keep a look out, and it would only be for a few hours, possibly three . . .

"I'll work something out." she finally told him.

**.:.^*^.:.**

Kristoff was coming out of his room when he bumped into Anna. The two stumbled back, not falling, but almost. He smiled weakly, apologizing quickly. He noticed he had he had caused Anna to drop a series of letters that she had had in her hands, so he bent down to help her pick them up, but really, kindness aside, he wanted to scream. He was flustered and didn't know what to tell her. Not about the letters, though.

He had feelings for Anna, and he wanted to be with her, truthfully, but he didn't know how to put them. The only person who he had common, every day long talks with in his whole life was Sven, since he was such a good listener, so he acted as his guidance counselor, you could say. And he hadn't talked to an actual woman before, so that didn't help, plus he hadn't felt all this for a woman before. Compassion, love, sympathy, trust . . . he could go on. And no woman he met was that beautiful and entertaining. How could he possibly express all these things to her without choking up?

Plus, she was acting weird when he was with Yvonne yesterday, and he didn't know why.

"What are you doing today?" Anna asked him when the rest of the papers were off the floor and back in her hands.

"Well, I was going out by the lake to harvest some ice," he said, gesturing to the pickax on his shoulder.

"Can I come? I wanna see you do it." Kristoff smirked. She tilted her head. "What? What's with the smirk on your face?"

"You _really _want to come see how to harvest ice?" She nodded, looking eager. The thought of little Anna using a pickax and cutting out ice from the lake was funny, but the thought of her getting hurt was serious. "No."

"Why _not_?" she whined, pouting.

"You could get hurt."

"Yeah, 'cause it's such a difficult thing." Kristoff nodded, pointedly. "Come on, I'm not as delicate as I look!"

"Anna—"

"Please, Kris, I promise I won't try anything dangerous." When she called him 'Kris,' he felt like smiling. He never had a nickname before. And it was the longing look in her blue eyes that made him crack.

"Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you. It's pretty hard." She shrugged and looped her arm in his as they walked down the hall. His smirk turned into a full-fledged smile.

**.:.^*^.:.**

Olaf ran ahead of Yvonne in the snow, not thinking about the first place Santa would be in Arendelle. But why would Santa be in Arendelle so early? There was a chance that he could be. He had to keep an eye out, just in case the jolly guy was creeping around the stores.

_Maybe he's going holiday shopping for his wife, _Olaf decided.

"Wait up!" Yvonne called. She jogged up to him, the white puffs hanging from her green cloak bouncing. She sighed, her breath coming out as a poof of smoke. Olaf looked at the cloud as it vanished. He was growing more and more fascinated with the winter by the second. "Okay. According to every story I've heard, milk and cookies always attracts the big guy. If we swipe some cookies and milk from the castle's kitchen, they'll be suspicious, and we don't want anyone to know what we're up to just yet." Yvonne looked thoughtful, scanning around. "There! The bakery. I know the cookies won't be _that _fresh, but it's the only chance we've got."

"I'm going in," Olaf said. He ran as fast as he could to the shop. The scent of some kind of sweetness passed by his carrot nose, and he stopped to let it sink in. He'd definitely like to eat cake and cookies every day, though it'd maybe make him lumpy. He snapped out of his daydream and looked back at Yvonne. "Well, come on, let's pull off phase one!"

Yvonne giggled and danced over.

**.:.^*^.:.**

"Have you ever stopped to enjoy the winter scenery?" Henrik asked Elsa, looking up at the dazzling lights streaming from each roof.

Elsa looked with him and shook her head, shrugging. "All my life, I've been locked in my bedroom, trying to conceal my power. I never really soaked up the images of kids playing or falling snowflakes." she answered. She looked in a store window, where wreaths were for sale, with holly and ribbons.

"You should try laying down one day in the snow, letting the snowflakes fall on your face," Henrik suggested. "They're like little frosty kisses from the heavens." He tilted his head back, closing his eyes, smiling.

Elsa faced upward and looked at the gloomy gray sky. Clouds were rolling by, and it was probably going to snow later in the afternoon. Maybe she'd take the king's idea into consideration later on, and just lay down in the meadow towards the back of the castle, to feel the light snowflakes fall on her pale cheeks. The cold didn't bother her; it was like a second nature. Snowflakes would probably melt right in, no matter how cold the temperature was. And taking up the scenery was another thing to think about. The only winter she had endured was the one she caused, and walking towards the North Mountain gave her not only time to think, but a chance to see nature in its frozen form. It really was beautiful.

"I have an idea," Henrik said. He gripped onto her hand delicately, and there was a hint of warmth in his touch. "Follow me."

Elsa didn't know what he had planned, but she reluctantly followed him and his quickening pace.

* * *

**_Kisses! ~TwistedTelepath_**


	5. Cold Skin, Warm Heart

**Disclaimer: Frozen belongs to Disney, I'm just a crazy girl with imagination, I guess.**

* * *

_Chapter 5: Cold Skin, Warm Heart_

"I wanna try," Anna said impatiently, tucking her hands inside her pockets. She was bored watching Kristoff swing his pickax dozens of times into the ice and cutting out blocks of it. She was sitting down in his sleigh, trying to be patient, but it just wasn't cutting out (no pun intended). "It looks _easy_."

"That's because I've been doing this for a living," Kristoff explained, sounding like he was being suffocated. He raised the ax again and dug deeper into the lake's icy coat. "You, on the other hand, are just realizing this exists."

"No, I've known about it for a while!"

Kristoff stood the ax in front of him upside-down, smiling. "All right, if you insist. Come here, I'll show you."

Anna jumped up excitedly and went to him, waiting for the first thing to do. She held her hands out like he instructed, and he leaned into her, grabbing the pickax. He held it up, not enough to chip off her head, but so that she could hold onto it, too. She followed his tug as he lifted the pickax. She felt him loosen his grip, and the tool felt awfully heavy for a few minutes, and her wrists were hurting, but then she gathered up the strength to lift it by herself. She looked back at Kristoff with a smile, but he just stared at her, eyes wide. She narrowed her eyes in confusion at first, but then realized he was scared for her. She sighed and rested the pickax on her shoulder, feeling to position herself right in front of the frozen lake.

"No, like this." Kristoff said, coming back to her, taking her little hand in his big one and guiding it up. She felt like she was blushing, her face growing warmer. His hand stayed on hers for a few more minutes and she saw that his cheeks held a tint of red. The both of them looked at their hands and Kristoff took his off, his face flushing back to its normal color. Anna nodded, recovering with a cough.

"I got it," she let him know. She swung the ax, her target a specific part of the ice, but it fell out of her hands and into the ice, making a sick dent in the sheet of ice. It was close to falling in, and Anna would've gone to get it if her hands weren't hurting so much. She held onto them, rubbing them. Kristoff rushed in, taking the ax out with ease, and putting it in the sleigh. Then he went behind Anna, taking her hands for inspection.

"I knew I shouldn't have let you try!" he shouted, rubbing his fingers deep in her wrists. The sore parts were getting better, but she still felt wounded.

"I'm sorry, it's not your fault," Anna said. "Don't blame yourself."

"But I'm the one who let you-"

"Kristoff, I'm okay. It hurts, but I'm okay. Don't worry." He stared at her with such unbelievable compassion in his eyes, still rubbing her wrists. She stared back, a weak smile playing on her lips. His head drew closer to hers and his lips were soon on her cheek, making its temperature warmer. She shut her eyes and then drew back, but placed her lips on his instead. The warmth between the two of them increased in the freezing climate. This stayed like this for a while longer, up until Sven stomped his hoof in the background. They looked at him, and he swayed his head to the side, smiling, if reindeer could smile.

Kristoff cleared his throat. "Wow. That was..."

"Nice," Anna finished, her smile turning into a grin. He looked stunned, rubbing the back of neck, looking down at the ice he had collected. "I really like you, Kristoff, and I want to say I'm sorry for yesterday. I was being silly."

"Why?"

"I was jealous, I guess." Now Anna was the one with her eyes on the ground.

Kristoff's glove-covered hand reached out and picked up her head, making her look at him. "Anna, there's no need to be jealous. I like _you_. You're the only girl I have my eyes on." Anna smiled meekly, her head tilting down, but her eyes still on him. "Yvonne's just a friend, and I'm just trying to make her stay here enjoyable. After she's gone, you'll have me all to yourself, I promise."

Anna threw her arms around the mountain man, feeling much more secure in his arms, along with his words. She knew he was both faithful and truthful to her, and that he never went against his word. He was too loyal to her for her to doubt him.

**.:.^*^.:.**

As Yvonne gripped tightly onto the box of newly bought ginger snaps, Olaf stirred with excitement. Yvonne told him that she'd get some goats' milk from the market, and then, since the day was ending, they'd go back to the castle to decorate with everybody, and later, when it was close to midnight, the two would creep into the main ballroom and set out their Santa bait and stake out, taking turns on lookout.

"You think he'll like me?" Olaf asked.

"Santa'll love you, Olaf," Yvonne answered, holding onto their box of cookies as she stepped over an icy puddle. "I heard he's really nice to snowmen." He nodded, grinning. "What do you want for Christmas?"

Olaf stopped on the side of the street. "We get to _pick _what we want?"

Yvonne nodded, saying, "Yeah. Whatever you want, you write a letter to him, telling him, and he gives it to you on Christmas Eve."

Olaf gasped. "Then we have to hurry up and write my letter!" he shouted. He started running.

". . . Right now?" she called after him, following him.

"Yes, right now, why'd you hesitate?"

**.:.^*^.:.**

With Henrik leading her blindly through town, Elsa couldn't help but wonder what the young king had in mind. He could be taking her straight to her death, but after all his kindness and quirkiness, Elsa doubted Henrik was a mastermind at murder. The unbalanced feeling she had about Hans was one that didn't appear with Henrik. In her heart, Elsa felt safe with him, even though her brain said something else.

"We're here," Henrik sang. Elsa opened her eyes to a vacant, snowy meadow, not too far from the town square. She tilted her head at him. "I figured, why take chances, bringing somewhere you might not have liked, when I can take you someplace where you can do whatever you liked?"

Elsa now understood and nodded. She didn't think the idea was useless, but smart. She thought of something quickly and held her hand out, focusing. A snowball formed in the palm of her hand. She flung it at Henrik, giggling.

"Oh I see," he said. He bent down and dug his hands in the snow. He threw a ball in the air, caught it, and then threw it at her, running. Elsa braced for impact and then ran after him. She stretched her arms out, both hands facing the snow, and made the snow rise up. She swung one hand at Henrik, and the heave of snow joined with him. He fell, surrounded with it, not moving.

Elsa gasped and pulled up her skirt, running toward him. She fell at her knees, looking at his blue lips, becoming scared.

_No, no, no,_ she thought. _Not again!_

"Henrik?" she asked, shaking him. Moments later, his eyes opened and he grinned, surprising her with a snowball on her forehead. He burst out laughing and she laughed too, a nervous laugh. "Don't scare me like that!" she said, hitting his shoulder. She fell next to him, both staring up at the sky. Every snowflake fell down so slow and with poise, and Henrik was right. They kissed her cheeks, like angel kisses. She smiled as they melted into her.

"See? It's beautiful," Henrik sighed. He coughed, alerting Elsa that it was too cold for him out here.

"Come on; let's get you back to the castle." She took his hand, trying to help him up. He got up with her tug, coughing hoarsely. His arm hung off her shoulder as they started walking back. Stopping by a tree, Henrik leaned against it to breathe and Elsa tried to think of something to keep him warm. She leaned into him, hugging him, the first thing popping into her mind. "Do you feel better?"

"I do now," he said. His green eyes pierced into her, and Elsa didn't know what came over her, but she placed a kiss on his lips. And to her shock, Henrik returned the favor, his cold lips staying on hers. When there was a spark of warmth between them, Elsa tried to pull back, but the flesh of Henrik's lips was stuck on hers. Her eyes widened in panic.

* * *

**This chapter is short I know, but questions will be answered tomorrow, I promise!**

_**Kisses! ~TwistedTelepath**_


	6. The Mistletoe Trap

**Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen, although I wish I was somehow stuck in the universe for a day.**

* * *

_Chapter 6: The Mistletoe Trap_

Getting back to the castle, now reassured, Anna found her sister and King Henrik sitting by a fireplace, both their lips light blue. Anna mused a smile, coming up to Elsa, arms crossed, but careful not to give pain to her wrists.

"What were _you two _doing all day?" she asked.

"They can't speak," Tatia said, coming by with a tray. There were two mugs of what smelt like hot chocolate on the tray. "They came here, their lips stuck to each other's. We managed to numb them, but the warmth of the hot chocolate should loosen their lips." Tatia knelt down and gave both of them their mugs, then stood back up. "Can I get you two something?"

"We're fine. Thanks, Tatia." Anna spoke, shaking her head. Tatia left. "So you guys were making out, huh?" Elsa started a series of sounds that sounding like protesting, shaking her head wearily and gesturing with her hands. It was like playing charades. Anna rolled her eyes, grinning, and helped her sister indulge into her hot chocolate, and like Tatia said, it loosened the icy grip on her lips. "_Now _explain."

"I won't say we- we weren't... 'making out,'" Elsa said with air quotes, "I... He... We, um..."

"I kissed her, she had nothing to do with it," Henrik explained, removing the mug of hot chocolate from his lips. He got up, sipping the rest of his drink, then set the emptied mug on the tray. He took the tray with both hands, cautiously. "If you all would excuse me, I'm going to finish my painting. If it's possible, please send my dinner to my room? Thank you." He exited the room with the tray, going down the hall. Anna raised an eyebrow at his shadiness and took Henrik's place next to Elsa.

"You like him, don't you?" she asked, a knowing look on her face.

Elsa faltered, but then stood up straight, sighing. "We're just friends. He leaned in and kissed me, but that's it. There's nothing romantic between us, okay?" She took another sip of her hot cocoa, then got up to go in the direction of her room.

Anna groaned, taking off her gloves. "She _does _have feelings for him!"

Kristoff sat next to her. "It's best not to get involved, Anna." he told her.

"But I want to make her happy. She has a chance at finding someone who loves her, and she's ignoring it!" Kristoff put his hand on her shoulder, shaking his head. She groaned again, knowing he was right. By the looks of things, Elsa was capable of handling her situation with Henrik on her own, despite how much Anna wanted to help her sister with her love life.

**.:.^*^.:.**

Elsa looked outside her bedroom window, tracing her fingers along the foggy glass. With every touch, a frosty circle appeared, and it connected with its nearby twin. She was still on what happened with her and Henrik out in the snow. The two connected, literally, and she _let _it happen. No matter how many bells rang in her mind, she followed the flow of what was happening and went along with it. It wasn't very ladylike to kiss a man she wasn't involved with. It wasn't appropriate. It wasn't right, period. What would her people think if they heard about it? They would gossip about their queen's affair with the crown-prince of the Northern Isles, and she would probably be the mockery of Arendelle. Henrik would maybe suffer the same when he returned home, wouldn't he? She felt like a disgrace to the title she befitted.

She took her fingers off the window, and half of it was completely frozen with ice swirling in different patterns and lines. There was a knock on her door.

"Come in," she said, sitting up, trying to look presentable. Yvonne stepped in. "Hello, Yvonne," Elsa greeted, a floundering smile playing on her lips. "How are you doing?"

"Very well, thank you, Your Majesty," the young girl said, curtseying. "Um, do you, by any chance, have a quill pen and parchment? I'm helping Olaf write his letter to Santa Claus." Elsa chuckled and went to her desk. She obtained a crisp, clean sheet of parchment and a the pen, then gave them to Yvonne. She held them, smiling. "Thank you so much!" She cleared her throat, then said, "Sorry to bother you."

"It's not a problem." Elsa told her earnestly. She faced the window just as Yvonne turned to the door.

"Your Majesty?" Yvonne's voice asked. Elsa turned back with a 'hmm?' "I ignore the rumors. You're blessed." Elsa smiled as Yvonne left. She looked at the window, and its frost had turned into a gleaming snowflake with a tint of blue.

**.:.^*^.:.**

Olaf sat down in front of the table, thinking about what he should write. Matter of fact, he didn't know _how _to write. His face fell and he sighed, passing the paper to Yvonne out of frustration.

"I can't write." he mumbled. "Could you write for me?"

"Sure." she said, taking the pen from between his twiggy fingers. She pressed it against the paper, waiting for him to say what he wanted to say.

"Umm," Olaf rubbed his fingers on his snowy chin, squinting. "Dear Mister Claus... That sounds about right, right?" Yvonne giggled, nodding. She started writing on the paper. "Yeah! Dear Mister Claus. My name is Olaf the Snowman, and this is my first Christmas, so, I want to make it special. But first, I have questions." He stopped to see if Yvonne was translating his words onto the paper. He nodded in satisfaction at her neat script. "I heard you give everyone a present on Christmas Eve. Is this true? If so, follow-up question: How do you fit into the smallest chimneys when you're so obese? No offence, but it's a question. Unless you'd prefer the term 'jolly'?" Yvonne burst out laughing, still writing.

"Um... Oooh! What do I want for Christmas this year? Well, I haven't existed long. It's been a couple months. I think I want a spinning top, but then again, I want a bike... but then my stubby little legs wouldn't reach the peddles. Yeah, a spinning top! One with colors and one that spins around endlessly. I want it to be so long that it can spin all the way around the castle... well, maybe halfway around the castle, since all the way seems a bit extreme.

"I have another question, though. There's a bunch of songs centered on you, and one of them tells me not to cry and to watch out. Well, what if there was a memorial? I have to cry, right, you can't threaten me not to cry at a memorial! Do you really know when I'm sleeping? And when I'm awake? That seems a little creepy, but I bet they got the wrong message, whoever wrote the song." Olaf chuckled. "I have a lot of questions, but hopefully, you'll write me back or something, or answer me in person? Wait, I don't think you could do that, it's against some law, right? So, please write me back, Santa! And don't forget my top, please! Yours Truly, Olaf.

"P.S. I like warm hugs."

**.:.^*^.:.**

Kristoff felt more casual in his tunic, trousers, and socks, completely stripped of his winter gear. Harvesting the ice was one painstaking thing, but delivering it was a whole other thing. He had a list of people to deliver it to by Christmas, which was in four days, although he questioned what people would be needing ice in the depths of winter. But hey, business was business, and as long as he got paid, he was satisfied.

He couldn't stop wrapping his head around what happened to Anna, but surely Tatia or someone else would take care of her. He didn't _mean _for her to get hurt, but deep in his mind, he knew he shouldn't have let her try harvesting. What in his mind told him she had what it took? He had years of experience and upper-body strength, and she was too sweet and delicate to take on something of such brute and rugged manliness. Not that he was criticizing her or doubting her limits, but it was true. He didn't want to hurt her, especially if he wanted to have a future with her. What would Elsa think if they told her about what happened today? She would be furious. She would probably cancel all her hospitality towards him and leave him to rot in the dungeons if she had to.

Walking down the candlelit halls of the somewhat empty castle, Kristoff found Anna, her wrists bandaged up, decorating an evergreen tree that went beyond her height. Glittering ornaments were already on it, along with twinkling angels and snowflakes and ballerinas and Christmas whatnot. Kristoff wasn't used to the stories, since he hadn't heard one since he was eight. He did decorate for Christmas, but in the form of troll customs, and he doubted they'd have anything to do with human Christmas.

"Hey," he said as cooly as he could, coming next to Anna, towering over her.

"Hey, you." she said sweetly. "I was wondering when you'd come out from skulking. Since Elsa and Henrik are sulking alone and Olaf and Yvonne are off on their Santa mission, I was thinking we could have dinner together. You know, talk, and stuff."

Kristoff swallowed the thick lump in his throat. "Talk? Alone? Without anyone?" He had always talked to Anna, but Sven was always around, making sure he said the right things and didn't act like a big oaf. Without him, was he really capable of sweet-talking Anna by himself?

"Yeah. But I was thinking out in the gardens, under the stars, so you'd feel more in your element than sipping tea in a big, fancy castle." Anna explained, carefully handling a star. She hung it on the tree.

"Umm... sure? Sure! That- that wasn't a question, that was a statement. I-I didn't hesitate."

Anna giggled, "But you know what Olaf would've said."

Kristoff gave a nervous laugh. "Heh heh... yeah." He rubbed the back of his neck. "So, do you need any help?"

Anna got up, one hand behind her back, shrugging. "I dunno, I think I'll finish in the morning..." She jumped, taking her hand from behind her back and waving a small herb in front of his face.

"What's that?"

"Mistletoe, silly! When you and another person are under mistletoe, you have to kiss." Anna closed her eyes and puckered her lips.

Kristoff laughed and looped her closer. He made sure his hand was gentle against her freckled cheek and kissed her. As his lips met hers, there was a sort of awkward tension at first, but then that melted into a spark. This spark was weird, but he kind of liked it. Her small hands pressed on his shirt, dropping the mistletoe.

* * *

**Okay! Let's explore more of the guys' POVs tomorrow, starting with King Henrik, eh? ;D Wonder what he's up to. Changing the rating on this thing to T, since I don't think making out is suitable for K+. I swear, there's nothing sexual in this story, just for the safety of the children! :)**

**_Kisses! ~TwistedTelepath_  
**


	7. Awkward Moments

**A/N: For the guest that said chapter 3 was a repeat of chapter 2 - Chapters 2 and 3 were put specifically in Elsa (2) and Anna's (3) POVs, so I'm sorry if you think the final parts are similar, but there's a difference between POVs. One person might feel a certain way through a part and another person could feel different during the same part. So yeah.**

**And for the record, I've actually had Norwegian food before, and I fell in love. C:**

**Disclaimer: Last time I checked, I don't own Frozen.**

* * *

_Chapter 7: Awkward Moments_

Henrik's paintbrush stroked his campus in watercolor, completing his mind-mirrored image of the Northern Lights. He yawned, standing back, admiring his own work. He felt accomplished with it done, yes, but it wasn't the same without Elsa's commentary. The newly-crowned queen had made an impression on him with her remarkable powers, beauty, and personality. Rumors had flurried wildly back home and throughout the kingdoms about Arendelle's queen being a heartless ruler, and a part of Henrik made this journey from the Northern Isles to Arendelle to prove these rumors as just that—rumors. Instead of an infamous ice queen, he found a woman of great and profound nobility, intelligence, strength, and queenly grace. And not shameless to say, he was attracted to her.

If he had to leave his kingdom in the hands of Yvonne, who had an advanced knowledge of royal politics and formality, in order to court Arendelle's queen, he would. But he was also afraid that he was going too fast for her pace. He didn't think she felt the same attraction that he felt. She maybe felt rushed by him, and Henrik didn't want that of her. He wanted her to feel comfortable with him.

_Maybe I shouldn't pursue her,_ Henrik thought, wiping his hands with a towel. _Afterall, there's the line of female suitors Adrian left me with._

Henrik's brother Adrian, the late king of the Northern Isles, had organized a party of young women around his age for him to court and marry. But minus all of their looks and accomplishments, Henrik didn't what to be betrothed to someone whom he did not love—or even _like. _Yes, all of these women were amongst his circle of friends, but they were nothing more. And he was sure that he hadn't made an impression on them, being his goofy prince self back then. He thought that he had matured nicely with taking the throne.

Henrik decided to ease off his stress with a hot bath, so that he could think more clearly. Strangely enough, that always did the trick.

**.:.^*^.:.**

Olaf watched carefully as Yvonne placed his letter to Santa Claus by the plate of cookies on a wooden stool. She placed the glass of goat's milk warily and then scampered to meet Olaf behind the unfinished evergreen Christmas tree that they were staked out behind. She hugged her knees, half her face peeking out to see the set-up and the other half—the scarred half—looking back at Olaf. He screwed up his eyes, getting dizzy by just looking at the confusion of streaks and scratches on her face.

"How'd that happen?" he asked. She faced him completely, then touched her face, frowning. Suddenly, Olaf felt bad for asking. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean it like that." She sighed and nodded thoughtfully.

"It's okay. I guess we have time to wait out while we're spying," she chuckled. She turned her body towards him. In the dim lighting, you could still see the discoloring of her gleaming pale skin, since the scar had tints of red and looked kind of fleshy. Olaf tried to keep himself looking serious, but inside, he wanted to gag. No offence meant to Yvonne, of course. "When I was eleven, there were rebellions against my father's rule, since most people didn't think that he was capable of ruling the Northern Isles. I honestly thought my father was a great ruler, and handled situations very well. One day, while we were sleeping, bombs went off in the castle, and a fire erupted, and my mother was killed in her sleep with the toxic fumes. I was woken up by my father, and we tried to escape safely, but the cellar exit of the palace was caving in with flames, and there was only enough space for one of us to pass - the smallest. My father gave me his ring, which had the Northern Isles' crest plated on it, along with his love, and I hurried to escape while crying. Since the exit was so narrow and the flames were untamable, fire whiplashed me in my face, and left me with this scar." Tears were swelling up in her gray eyes as she talked.

"Oh my gosh," Olaf said, pressing his stick fingers on his mouth. "I'm so sorry! I—I didn't mean to say that." He stretched his frown, feeling even sadder. He didn't know that heat could be so dangerous! He didn't know that it could leave you with dead parents and scars! When he thought of heat, he thought of warmth, and the beach, and getting beautifully tanned!

"It's all right, Olaf, it had nothing to do with you. You weren't involved," she told him softly. She wiped her tears. "The reason they refer to me as 'Lady Yvonne' instead of 'Princess Yvonne' is because when I think of the word 'princess,' I think of a king and a queen, and then I think of my parents . . . and it's too painful to remember them." She looked down at her finger, at the ring she described with the crest of two swords intersecting, along with a bear head and a star underneath it. "But you know, I shouldn't be complaining. I have an uncle who loves me, and all the family I need."

Olaf let his sympathy out and hugged her. "Can I ask for Santa to bring your parents back?" he asked, sniffling.

"I'm afraid it doesn't work like that, buddy."

**.:.^*^.:.**

Kristoff's hand was pulled in a different direction, and he didn't know whether to step left or right, in fear that he'd hit his foot again. From the faint smell of freshly cut grass and the pollen of flowers, he knew he was going outside (that and Anna had told him) but was he ready for a one-on-one with Anna? Was it suitable? Could he even call her his 'lover'? 'Lover' felt out of place for her, but there was no other thing to call her. Still, a little abnormal feeling churned within him. What had sparked in Anna's mind to arrange this moonlit dinner? Did she just do it to do it, or was she going to get all serious with him? Quite frankly, he didn't think that Anna was _ever _capable of seriousness. She was bubbly and headstrong and whimsical, not serious.

Anna commanded him to open his eyes. He did that, and the light of the stars above got to him, shooting blurs in his eyes. He squinted, and then recovered full eyesight. The gardens were actually beautiful, and the coldness from earlier seemed to have lifted and been replaced with mild coldness, but he only had a scarf on. He hoped they didn't catch hay fever. The flowers in the garden were sprinkled with icy water droplets and specks of snow, and the ground was masked with snow entirely, so his feet dragged along.

"Did you bother to check the weather out before setting this up?" he asked, shuffling with her through the snow.

"I thought the winter landscape would look nice, okay? Sheesh," Anna scoffed, leading him towards a white gazebo in the midst of all the flowers and shrubs. She walked up the stairs with him in tow and awaiting them was a wool blanket and two bowls of fiskesuppe. She let go of his hand and fell down across from him. He sat slowly, hands in his pockets, afraid of frostbite. "It was last-minute, okay, so I didn't actually have time to get the little, mini orchestra I wanted, so . . ."

Kristoff laughed. "It's fine, Anna—perfect in fact."

She blushed and stirred her spoon in her soup, her eyes turned down. "So . . . are we like . . . romantically involved, now? I mean, I guess, I'd call it that, but I wanna know if you feel comfortable with me saying that." She looked up with a quirky smile, waiting for his response.

_Somewhat serious talk, then,_ he thought.

"Well . . . yeah, I guess you could say that." He lifted his spoon to his mouth awkwardly, swallowing a piece of fish in the process, since he was that nervous. He coughed. "Yeah. Me and you . . that sounds about right."

"Am I intimidating you?" Anna asked skeptically.

"Ye—no. It's not you, it's just, I've never been 'romantically involved' with anyone before, so I'm scared about how I'm going to handle this," he explained, trying to see if that sounded better in his head.

Anna giggled, leaving the conversation at that for now.

**.:.^*^.:.**

Henrik came out the bathroom, running his hand through his tousled and damp hair, a towel wrapped securely around his waist. He didn't take long to get dressed, throwing on a not-so-warm linen shirt and trousers. He put on his slippers and walked into the hall, drying his hair with a towel, and bumped into Elsa. He staggered and fell on his bottom on the ground, groaning. He got up, wearing a limp smile. Her beautiful blue eyes looked into him, and he thought she looked like a winter angel with her draping light blue nightgown and darker blue robe. Her platinum blonde hair was tied up but showed signs of waves. She had a passive look on her face, looking shy in front of him, as if they never met, like strangers.

"I'm sorry about earlier," Henrik said, wrapping the towel around his neck. "I didn't mean to kiss you, and I didn't mean to act rude about it. Pardon my behavior, please, Your Majesty."

"Elsa is fine in private," she let him know. "And all is forgiven."

He swallowed the lump in his throat. "I was wondering if you could show me to your library? I have a few novels I'd like to catch up on."

She smiled now, the shyness fading. "Of course." She led the way and Henrik helped himself in following the queen down the candlelit halls.

* * *

_**Kisses! ~TwistedTelepath**_


	8. Misfits

**A/N: Syntax001, you have a GREAT point, and I definitely wouldn't let anyone flame you for it. Well, it is fanfiction, and anything can happen in fanfiction. Especially when I don't think they had saunas in the 16th century as mentioned and brought up in the movie. But still, I admire your honesty. :)**

**Oh, and sorry I didn't put any Kristanna in this chapter, guys! :( But they'll get their own chapter soon, along with Helsa(?) Maybe.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

_Chapter 8: Misfits_

Elsa sat across from Henrik, trying to focus on her book, but she couldn't help but look at how peaceful he looked, just sitting there, astonished by Arendelle's vast collection of books. His head was tilted down at the large book in front of him, candlelight bringing out his profile. His hair was still dripping wet from his bath, its golden edges letting down water on the table. She couldn't help but justify that he didn't look as lean as he did the day they met, but he looked well-built, with flex-worthy curves that gave away that he worked on his body when away from royal duties—

_Don't think like that! _Elsa told herself. _You can't afford to think like that._

She tried to distract herself from these wrongful thoughts by actually focusing on her book, which she realized was a cookbook. She sighed mentally and got up to get a _real _book. For some reason, she felt Henrik's eyes on her as she swept from her chair to the bookshelf. She pretended not to notice and selected a random book just to avoid suspiciousness. She glided back to her chair, and her eyes connected with Henrik's spark-worthy green eyes. All she could see in them was bright, luscious green, something like a fresh meadow. She dropped her gaze and looked at the book's tainted cover. The written title was hard to decipher.

"So, Henrik," she suddenly said, "do you have any plans for when you return home?" The question was lacking in interest, but Elsa would rather make conversation then sit in awkward silence.

"Yvonne's seventeenth birthday is coming up, and I was planning a surprise ball in her honor. There are still a lot of preparations to take care of, and I realized how picky her taste is." Henrik replied, flipping a page in the book he was reading. "Don't worry, you and whomever you choose are invited." he said, looking up, smiling.

Elsa smiled in favor, pushing the book in her possession aside. "Yvonne is a very lovely young lady. You did a wonderful job raising her."

"Thank you. It wasn't very easy, you know, raising an eleven-year-old when you were only seventeen, along with being crowned head of a kingdom, but I tried to juggle both, making time for both Yvonne and the court."

_Seventeen?_ Elsa asked herself. She held back her gasp. Six years ago. Henrik was now twenty-three. Six years ago, Elsa was fifteen, not much of a difference, but still. She couldn't imagine being fully-attentive at royal meetings, making rules, and organizing a kingdom as big as the Northern Isles at only seventeen. She admired Henrik's bravery and maturity. She had so many questions in hearing this.

"But you seem so mature," she spoke up, frailty in her voice.

"I had to grow up fast. I was a stranger in a new world, inelegant in an elegant society. Barely an adult, pushed into the world of politics and the prejudice of my own people. It was a burden, but it got easier. I studied long and hard and luckily I had picked up a few things from both my father and brother's rule, but it wasn't much. I had people help me along the way, and before I knew it, five years later, here I am. Now all that's left is marriage and children."

"You haven't courted anyone yet?"

He gave her a look that made her feel stupid. "It's complicated, actually. I have a few women that my brother picked out for me before his death, but I don't feel comfortable with any of them as my wife. I'm kind of just searching around, you know?" They way he was looking at her so straightforward gave her the hint that he was talking about her.

"That's a shocker," she murmured. She wasn't being sarcastic, though.

"What about you? Any suitors?"

She shook her head. "None that I know of."

"Any man is a fool for not recognizing such a beautiful and collected woman such as yourself," he said softly, a lofty smile on his face.

"No. They're right to beware of a woman who can freeze them to death."

Henrik shook his head and got up. He walked to her and took her hand. Elsa breathed in, careful not to let anything come flying out uncontrollably. "Do you see this? You're not hurting me. You can control your powers, Elsa. What's stopping you from being happy with someone you love?"

"Maybe I haven't found the right person." She averted her eyes from him to the floorboards, careful not to give him the wrong idea.

**.:.^*^.:.**

Yvonne's eyes were fluttering closed as she felt like drifting to sleep. Olaf was already sound asleep, and she wasn't surprised, since it was close to midnight already. She wasn't sure were Uncle Henrik was, maybe with Queen Elsa. And she heard Princess Anna and Kristoff sneak upstairs about two hours ago. She wanted to fall asleep, but she was bent on seeing Santa, and she would maybe take Olaf's advice into consideration, even though she had tried three years in a row, begging for her parents to show up under the tree, sleeping—or for the five years to be just a bad dream.

Her eyes shut for the midst of the moment, and she was about to fall asleep, but she lifted herself up when she heard footsteps. Her eyes shot open and she heard ornaments on the incomplete Christmas tree dangle. She swore it was for the slightest second that she had closed her eyes, but it turned out to be for five minutes.

She groaned and got up dizzily, but gaped when she saw crumbs on the plate she had set out, along with a half-full glass of milk and a missing letter.

Impossible.

She squealed excitedly and went to go wake Olaf.

**.:.^*^.:.**

Henrik could hear himself snoring as he rested his head on the mahogany table. He felt like he was shivering and that the room's temperature had dropped. He lifted his head, slightly embarrassed that he had left a pond of drool on the table. Arms were hanging from his shoulders and cold hands were on his cheeks. He looked out of the corner of his eye and saw Elsa, barley awake, comforting him. He smirked.

"I'm fine, really," he told her.

She shook her head. "You were shivering," she said in a thick, croaked, sleepy voice.

"So the Snow Queen is going to make me warm?" he asked, not as a snarky retort, but in a playful way.

She chuckled, nodding. "Toasty."

He liked how her skin felt against his. It was cold, but it felt natural. He wouldn't think of anything dishonorable while he had this feeling, though. It was friendly and comforting, like the touch of a teddy bear.

"Elsa," he said. "Do you want to talk about you, now?" She shrugged and replied, 'mhmm.' "What was it like—all those years in isolation?"

She sighed and leaned into him. "Lonely. Nerve-racking. Fearful. I thought I was different from everyone else, a misfit. I had to try growing up without the company of my little sister and other children. I watched them play outside as I stayed inside, gathering the cold. I missed being somewhat normal."

Henrik smiled in comfort, rubbing her hand. "That makes two of us."

* * *

**_Kisses! ~TwistedTelepath_**


	9. Games We Play

**A/N: Man, no _real_ Olaf in this chapter. He'll get his spotlight in chapter 10. Ooh, and I want to thank ALL my reviewers and followers. I love you guys _so_ much! 104 followers?! I've never had so much! Thanks for the support.  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't have any rights towards Frozen.**

* * *

_Chapter 9: Games We Play_

Two days had gone by already, and Anna couldn't recall what had taken place during those two days. She wasn't sure why, but there was this suddenly formed bond between Elsa and Henrik, and for the past two days, they were going to business meetings together, laughing, acting like they've known each other forever. She wasn't jealous. Her sister deserved to be happy after thirteen years of isolation and loneliness, but of course, she never knew _why _Elsa shut her out. Yes, now Anna knew of her sister's powers and abilities, and besides accidentally freezing the kingdom and accidentally freezing her heart, she couldn't think of an answer for the great shut-out.

Whilst Elsa had improvements in her love life, it seemed like Anna and Kristoff were distant and sort of simulated, or at least Anna thought it was. She knew she had nothing to fear, but the time Kristoff was spending with Yvonne seemed like forever, since the young princess said she and Olaf have a short hiatus in their Santa-revolved plans. It was Christmas Eve, and surely Yvonne would have something to do with Olaf on Christmas Eve, like prepare the castle for Santa's arrival or something. And hopefully, Anna would get to figure out what Kristoff wanted for Christmas, although he insisted he didn't need anything.

At about one o' clock, Anna found Yvonne in the ballroom, rummaging through a box of Christmas decor, and Anna wasn't surprised to see Kristoff not too far away, maybe two feet. He stood with his arms folded over his chest. Luckily, neither of them noticed Anna's presence, so she could spy on them. Jealousy began to boil through her veins, and her stare turned into a glare. She knew Yvonne was very pretty, even with the afflicting scar slashing across half of her face. Her glossy brown hair was tied up in a messy bun, a single braid in it, too, and her dress was made up of a white sweater-like top and simple brown skirt, reaching up to her ankles, and she wore black laced-up boots. She wore a natural face today, her pale beauty the highlight of her.

"Do you know where I should hang up the tinsel?" Yvonne asked, facing Kristoff. "I wouldn't want to put it in the wrong place; I don't know the castle very well."

"I'm sure it could go anywhere," he quipped with a shrug. Decorations didn't very matter to him as much as they did to everyone else. "Anna wouldn't mind."

Yvonne wore a mindful expression, holding up four rows of tinsel, which were gold, silver, red, and green. She scanned the room and nodded, looking at the corners of the room. She set them aside then got up off her knees. She asked, "Shouldn't we tell her?"

_Tell me what? _Anna thought.

"No!" Kristoff exclaimed, shaking his head. Yvonne smiled, supporting her hands. "No." he said more calmly. "I don't want her to know. It's best that she doesn't know about what we're doing."

Anna didn't know what they were talking about, but the first thing that popped in her mind gave her goose bumps. What if Kristoff was seeing Yvonne behind her back? The mere thought made her upset, if not disgusted, since there was a five-year difference between them, and Yvonne was practically still a child. If this was true, Anna was heartbroken. She _knew _something was going on between them! Just the way Kristoff _looked _at Yvonne gave away that he had a thing for her. Was it her sweet and kind nature? She noticed that when Yvonne sat down to write her short stories, Kristoff seemed interested in whatever she was writing, beaming and laughing. Maybe it was her spark of creativity? He seemed to _adore _her.

Anna felt fed up and left softly, trying to hold back the tears.

**.:.^*^.:.**

"She's going to _love _it," Yvonne assured Kristoff, holding up the gold chain in her hands. At the end of the chain was a sparkling, red crystalline rose trinket, one that Yvonne had helped him purchase. She was helping him organize the way he would present it to Anna on Christmas Day. He smiled.

"I can't thank you enough, Yvonne," Kristoff said, holding the girl's hand with jubilation showing on his face.

"Hey, it's not a problem. Now—help me hang up the tinsel." She put the necklace in her pocket and jumped up, trying to lay the tinsel on the edges of the room. He chuckled and assisted her, holding her up, his height an advantage for her.

**.:.^*^.:.**

"Hold still," Henrik advised, squinting.

Elsa hummed with laughter, feeling silly as she leaned against the window of her bedroom, frost gathering on the glass from her excitement. Her hair in a single side-braid and wisps of her bangs were slicked back on top of her head. Her signature dress was off-the-shoulder, in a crystal-blue, and its attached long, pellucid cape, trailing around her in glamorous glitters and snowflake-based patterns. Her whole appearance reminded her of her summer adventure, finding peace with both herself and her icy prowess. She crossed her arms, smiling.

"Stay still!" he commanded, hiding behind easel and canvas, a pencil behind his ear, his hair amuck. He was sketching in what looked like lead or graphite. She didn't know many art tools. He was fully concentrated on drawing her, and all she had to do was make sure she positioned herself right. She had to look outside, her hand on the glass. It was simple enough, but it _hurt _after a while.

"When can I take a break?" she questioned. "I've been here for what seems like three hours."

"Close. Three hours, seventeen minutes, and forty-two seconds," he corrected, quickly glancing at the clock in the corner. "Forty-three . . . forty-four . . . forty-five." Elsa laughed, almost breaking out of her pose. A sharp but faint snort came from her laughter, and her face grew paler than usual. Henrik had _always _made her laugh too hard, and this unladylike thing was a part of it. She sounded _awful._

"Aww, isn't that cute" he mocked, imitating it. She blushed furiously and sent a small, icy breeze towards him, enough to make him stagger back and make some of his hair flip back. He laughed, holding down his paintbrush. "Come on, I was serious. At least it isn't obnoxious. You know, you don't have to be perfect." She gave him a questionable look. "It's okay to scr—mess up from time to time. Take it from someone who has messed up from the time he was born."

She made a stifled laugh now, coming toward him, looking at his progress. So far, it was a _very _detailed outline of her. She could see the emotion in her face to the imprint of snowflakes and frost on the window in pencil. Her hair was marked with pale yellow.

"But it's okay. You're perfect nonetheless, anyway," he said nonchalantly. She nudged him gently, careful not to hurt him.

"You're such a _liar,_" she teased. He shrugged, cracking his knuckles. She found herself leaning her head on her shoulder, still cherishing his incomplete work.

"Am I? Okay, if you insist." His hand stroked her cheek, his warm touch once again feeling blissful against her naturally cold skin. She couldn't help but feel this way. She knew she had to be sophisticated, not to interfere with the natural companionship between her and Henrik, since Arendelle and the Northern Isles were close allies, but could she help it if she wanted to break and feel free enough to become _closer _with whoever she liked? Of course, she feared she was going faster than her mind would have time to comprehend.

As she began to feel vulnerable in his shadow, his head tilting towards hers, she heard a delicate knock. She turned her head towards the door, where Tatia was. She was reminded of how pretty Tatia was, with tan skin, almond-shaped, dark eyes, and soft features. Elsa remembered that she might have mentioned that she was from Romania.

"My queen, the Council would like to talk with you privately," she said softly. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything." She switched glances between Elsa and Henrik. Elsa noticed that Henrik's hand was by her hip. She stepped out of his grip.

"I'm on my way," Elsa stated. She bid Henrik a formal goodbye, then followed Tatia towards the conference hall.

**.:.^*^.:.**

Kristoff felt like he must've been looking for Anna for half of the day. It was now a quarter to six and he was exasperated. He stopped in the courtyard and found Olaf talking to Sven. At first, he was furious with Olaf for letting Sven out without his permission, but then he cooled down mentally and walked up to him.

"Have either of you seen Anna?" he asked.

"Oh, she's in that pile of snow over there." Olaf pointed out. Sven gestured his head towards the corner of the courtyard, where Anna was sprawled in a pile of snow, groaning.

Kristoff nodded as a thank you and went over to her. He hovered above her, then after a while, he knelt and picked her head up. He was shocked to see the remains of tears and flecks of snow on her cheeks.

"What's wrong?"

She narrowed her eyes and pushed herself away from him. "Don't act like you don't know! You're all over Yvonne, why don't you see if _she's _all right?" He raised his eyebrows, confused about what she was talking about. "Don't look like that!"

"Anna, I have _no _idea what you're talking about."

"You and Yvonne are seeing each other!" she accused wildly. Kristoff heard Olaf's muffled gasp. "And you had the nerve to talk about it behind my back! Well, you know what? Whatever we had, it's done! I never want to see you again!" She got up fiercely, gathering up her skirt. "Well . . . that might be hard, since we live in the same place, but still! Try to avoid me!" she fussed.

"Anna!" He tried to reach out for her, but she was already gone. He didn't know what led her to believe that he was seeing Yvonne, or how he was "all over her", but she didn't let him explain.

* * *

_**Kisses! ~TwistedTelepath**_


	10. It's All Arranged

**A/N: Thank you to White Belt Writer for pointing out my spelling mistake! Ugh, my stupid auto-correct. Mr. Boar, yeah I know. What I meant by 'thirteen years of isolation' since Elsa was eight when the accident happened, and Anna was five. If you mean something else, please tell me?**

**Again. No Kristoff and Anna. Sigh. Please don't be mad! I know some of you were interested in what had happened with the two of them, but I swear, all will be answered in the next chapter! I might have to rethink the whole 'own chapter' thing, though, by the looks of it, since I have difference plans for this new subplot I'm going to introduce in this chapter. So hang tight, please, guys!**

**Disclaimer: Frozen belongs to Disney, and yes, if I had enough money, I'd buy the rights to it.**

* * *

_Chapter 10: It's All Arranged_

Olaf couldn't help but wander around town with Yvonne today. It was Christmas Eve, the day he had been waiting for since he heard about it! He was overwhelmed with glee and beaming since he was more than sure that his plan for seeing Santa would work. This time, he and Yvonne would set out freshly baked cookies and perfectly warm milk, so the big guy couldn't resist himself. Yvonne told him that their bait had worked days ago, and that Santa had his letter. Hopefully Olaf would get the train he wanted, and maybe Yvonne would get to see her parents, just like he had requested. The real problem was staying awake long enough to catch him in the act.

Yvonne wanted to buy gifts for everyone on her Christmas list, and even though Olaf didn't know what the purpose was of keeping a list, he wanted to tag along to capture the holiday view of the kingdom. Wreaths were pinned on doors, ribbons were streaming from windows, snowmen were built outside homes, (but of course these didn't talk like he did). Music was coming from an unknown source, the stringing of lutes and harps, playing of the piano. People were humming, some singing Christmas carols that he'd never know, and bells were being rung on every corner. Evergreen trees were seen from windows, decked out with colorful tinsel, beautiful ornaments, cranberries, popcorn on strings, and either a star or angel on top.

"All I have to do now is buy a present for Uncle Henrik," Yvonne said. Olaf looked at her to see her scratching her dark green cap, which was also covering her ears. It matched her cape, and her dress had a long-sleeved top and a lavender skirt. Her hair was in a single braid, reaching down to her waist. "But I think all he wants for Christmas is to make Queen Elsa happy," she mused, laughing.

"Huh?" Olaf asked, not having the slightest clue to what she was hinting at.

"My uncle likes Queen Elsa . . . He like-likes her."

"Like-likes?" Olaf repeated. "What does that mean?"

"He wants to be in a relationship with her. He goes on and on, talking about how sweet and pretty and elegant she is, and he makes little sketches of her in his sketchbook based from memory. He's captivated with her; he's just scared she'll reject him." Yvonne stepped over an icy puddle, looking straight forward.

"Whoa," the snowman breathed. "Cool!"

"I know right? Ooh, I should get him a bottle of egg nog. He loves egg nog around this time of year. I can ask Emil to get it for him, since I'd never be able to buy it myself. I mean, if I were a liquor store owner, why would I let a sixteen-year-old buy an alcoholic drink? Yeah." She stopped abruptly, making Olaf halt with her. "We should head back to the castle, make sure everything's in place, and then take a nap, so we can stay up tonight."

"Good idea. We don't want Santa to sneak underneath our noses," Olaf said, his voice sounding determined. "Race you to the castle!" He started running, or at least he thought he was, but Yvonne zoomed past him, leaving him in the snow . . . literally.

**.:.^*^.:.**

Elsa stood up straight, trying to keep herself from dozing off at the Council meeting. It was just a handful of old-timers with graying hair and muffled voices who wanted to keep Arendelle to stay the same. They often engaged in conflict with each other over it. Two or three younger individuals suggested that Arendelle tried to advance its ways and replace silly ones like the kingdom curfew, which was ten o' clock. Elsa half-heartedly agreed with the law, since she didn't want children being out in the dark. Today's topic was the trade between the Northern Isles and Arendelle, so she questioned why Henrik wasn't present.

"They shouldn't go all the way around from the east harbor, down to the Southern Isles, and then come up into our harbor! There's a shorter route: start shipping from the south harbor, then spend the three-day trip coming from there to here," an elderly man—Finn, his name was—pointed out, standing in front of an outdated map of the European continent, which had a close-up view of Norway.

"I was told that I was summoned for something important, not to appear disrespectful," Elsa spoke up. "I think the matter of trade routes isn't urgent. Besides, it should be up to the king if he wants to change his kingdom's shipping lanes."

"Speaking of the king, Your Majesty," Johanne, a middle-aged maiden, said. "We wanted to discuss things with you in private. Shut the doors, please," she pleaded. The two guards that maintained positions by the doors shut them, and then stepped in front of them, sitting up tall. "How is it going, between the two of you?"

People leaned in, awaiting Elsa's answer. She searched around for a single person who wasn't staring at her. Wasn't it rude to stare? More importantly, wasn't it rude to stare at the _queen_ above all people? She squeezed her hands together, unsure of how to respond.

"Fine, if I may," she said. "King Henrik and I have shared a vast amount of time together, becoming familiar with each other's lives and kingdoms . . ." She knew her tone sounded sovereign enough to make it sound like nothing romantic took place between the two of them.

"Is that why both of you were seen with your lips stuck to each other's?" a younger lad asked obnoxiously. Leif, she thought his name was. He was new to the Council.

"What he meant to phrase was . . ." Johanne stalled, her eyes going up in thought. "Are the two of you . . . _affectionate_?"

Elsa nearly choked at the proposition, both of them. She was hesitant before she answered. "It's—it's hard to explain. Well, no. We're good friends, and we're very friendly, but what happened was that, he kissed me . . . and . . ." She stopped, knowing that her stutters were being overlooked and her facial expressions were what they were focusing on.

"It's fine. It was a part of the bargain, anyway," Lief said offhandedly, leaning back in his chair. The other members shot him sharp looks. He looked like he could care less.

Elsa, however, felt disturbed by his words, and the Council's looks. "What bargain?"

"My queen, you must understand that King Henrik has nothing to do with this," Finn said calmly, coming over to her, fear showing on her face. His face touched her shoulder. She looked down at the table, seeing that there was gathering ice and frost skidding across the smooth and fine wood. She tried to ease her nerves, but it wasn't working. It just kept spreading. Members stood up slowly, watching the table freeze. She looked up at Finn for answers.

"Explain," she said, her voice struggling to stay tranquil.

"The king, said by his advisors, has been showing an inability to communicate with his women suitors, and shows disinterest. So when news about Arendelle's newly crowned queen creating an eternal winter spread to the Northern Isles through their ambassador, who was in attendance at your coronation, he hatched a plan along with the Northern Isles' Royal Court, seeing that the king was interested in you. They decided, deliberately, that they would invite him and his niece to Arendelle in order for him to become acquainted, if not infatuated with you, and in one to two years' time, tie the Northern Isles and Arendelle closer through the marriage of the two monarchs."

Elsa was stunned. Now she knew that Henrik's romantic motives were of innocence, and he _really _did like her. He was just a poor pawn in his court's games, who wanted too much of him. She felt sorry for him—for his loss, his adjustment, and for this, which was going on behind his back.

"Might I ask what would happen if we don't get married in two years' time?" Elsa asked, trying to comprehend what they were talking about clearly.

"Since the Northern Isles' court thinks that their king is still an immature ruler who doesn't care for his kingdom, they will vote whether or not to remove him from the throne, and then crown the next living heir—Princess Yvonne of the Northern Isles," Johanne explained. "Probably before the kingdom's rebels get him first. They've always disapproved of him and his brother's rule. And the effect for you, my queen, won't be as drastic. Arendelle's court will organize a line of suitors for you, since some of them aren't fairly fond of the idea of a queen regnant."

Elsa's power eventually reached the rest of the table, and left an expanding trail of ice going towards the door. Her emotions were thrown all over the place, not knowing what to think of this new situation. Yes, she had _some _feelings for Henrik, but was she _really _ready to take on this new suggestion? Would she have to lie to him? If she did, what kind of love would that be?

* * *

_**Kisses! ~TwistedTelepath**_


	11. How Much the Truth Stings

**A/N: Mr. Boar, oh! Now I feel stupid. Thanks, though! Sorry if I came off snappy. And thank you to all the reviewers, I'm glad you guys loved the new chapter! If anything, now this makes me want to make an Elsa and Henrik spin-off. ;)**

**Disclaimer: Frozen belongs to Disney, King Henrik and Lady/Princess Yvonne belong to me.**

* * *

_Chapter 11: How Much the Truth Stings_

"Th-there has to be a way so that the consequences won't be as depressing for Henrik," Elsa stated, looking around desperately. "He's a good man, he doesn't deserve to be dethroned and handed over to his people to die!" The standing people around her looked startled.

"My queen," Finn said, easing over towards her. She got up, backing up. "It's not up to us. It's up to you and the court officials of the Northern Isles how Henrik's future turns out. All I know is either way, Princess Yvonne inherits her uncle's throne. If it goes according to plan, he becomes king of Arendelle through marriage, but you maintain proper birthrights to the throne. If it doesn't, he is removed from his throne and handed over to the people-"

"Who will _kill _him!" Elsa exclaimed, losing her patience. "I don't see any problem with marrying Henrik, if it means saving him from what seems like execution, but the fact that this was all arranged behind my back for me is highly unacceptable! I was not consulted in the Northern Isles' foreign affairs, and they have _some _nerve, planning my future like this. Henrik should have been consulted as well."

"It's best that the king doesn't know," Leif suggested. "If anything, he will assume that you played a part in this, and he was enact his deadly future to come closer than it should be."

"The lad has a point, Your Majesty." Finn added. "It's best that you bond with him, since the public already suspects that the two of you are already together, and some will be curious as to how the queen gets along with her new... 'boyfriend.'"

Elsa took in a sharp breath, feeling beat. She didn't want to disappoint her people, since she understood why they were excited about their lonely queen finding a kindred spirit, but she still didn't know what to do. Wouldn't Henrik think she was still apart of his kingdom's scheme to overthrow him if he found out himself? Why couldn't he find out from her? It was save a world full of trouble for both of them, and lying to Henrik wasn't going to solve anything.

"I will _try _succeed in the plan," Elsa finally said, "but as queen, you can't stop me from telling Henrik about it. He deserves to know, since it's his future at stake. Even if it fails, I'll still be in control of my kingdom. He _won't._ I propose that letting him know of his people's plans is the best way to go. Understood."

"But my lady-"

"I'm sorry. That wasn't a question. That was a closing statement. I will see all of you at our next meeting." Elsa got up from her seat, feeling less worried, slightly, as the ice in different parts of the room melted in a cackling sound. She opened the door and slipped outside, shutting the door securely.

**.:.^*^.:.**

Anna sat in her room, curled up on her bed, feeling completely dried up from crying. All of her blankets were thrown on her, making her feel fuzzy and warm inside, despite the cold temperature in the room. Snotty tissues were sprawled all over the sheets and falling on the floor. Half the time she spent in her room was spent crying about how much she was hurt by Kristoff and how she wanted to strangle the life out of Yvonne, but as time went on, she started crying about how illogical the idea of Kristoff and Yvonne being together was, and she remembered Kristoff's word to her. Now, she felt like an idiot, just like she had felt when she accidentally exposed her sister's powers in front of the whole kingdom. She realized she had a tendency to know half of the story, and it was a bad habit.

She just wanted to tell Kristoff how much she was sorry, but she knew he would be too ticked off to listen to her. And she wanted to apologize to Yvonne, for thinking lowly of her when she had been so nice.

There was a dull knock at the door. She mumbled something that she thought sounded like 'come in,' then dove underneath the blankets. Footsteps proceeded in the room. They were heavy against the wooden floor. This person made a grunting noise and then something was slipped underneath her sheets. A small pouch.

Anna opened the pouch in the darkness and saw the glimmer of red rubies. This glimmer was apart of a rose-shaped pendant, and linked with a gold chain. She sat in awe, admiring the gift and unveiled the covers, expecting to see Kristoff. It was Olaf to her surprise. She sat up, looking at him questionably.

"Olaf, what's this for?" she asked, handling it carefully.

"It's from Kristoff. He told me to give it to you." he told her, smiling. "He thought you'd be really mad at him, even though he didn't know why, but he thought it'd make you feel better. He was going to give it to you tomorrow. Yvonne helped him get it."

Anna's jaw dropped, now realizing what the conversation yesterday Kristoff and Yvonne shared really meant. "She did? So, they _weren't _talking about being together behind my back?"

Olaf shook his head. "Oh, no! He just really wanted to make you happy."

"I-I don't know what to say... I've got to make this right." Anna said, clipping the necklace around her neck.

**.:.^*^.:.**

Elsa found Henrik in the ballroom, watching the servants prepare it for tomorrow's party. He sat backwards in a chair, slumped over the back, looking awfully glum. His honey-colored hair was casually messy, but it didn't look terrible. It suited him. His eyes brightened when he saw Elsa, and he got up immediately. He hugged her by her waist and swung her around, a smile on his face. Elsa chuckled, but kept serious, hinting at the gazing attention they were getting. He stopped and let her down. He dipped in a low bow, putting on a kingly attitude.

"Good afternoon, Your Majesty." he said, almost if he was in monotone. She curtseyed silently. He lead her outside the doors and shut them. He grinned again. "So, what did the Council have to say? Or was it private Arendellian business that I have no business of knowing about?"

She stiffened at that, shaking her head. "Why were you so sad a minute ago?"

"Oh... Yvonne told me she wanted to see her parents again for Christmas, but she also said that she asked _Santa _if she could see them." He groaned, leaning against the wall. He slid down. Once he was on the floor, he said, "I don't want to let her down, Elsa. She seemed so excited about this Christmas. As much as I loved Adrian and Sonja, I can't bring them back. And what kind of horrible person am I? I told her Santa would bring her whatever she wanted on Christmas Eve. Imagine how disappointed she'll be, when she finds out that Santa isn't real, and that I lied to her. She'll hate me."

Elsa pitied him even more now. She crept down beside him informally.

"Don't worry. We'll figure something out. But in the meanwhile..." she stalled, thinking of how to phrase it.

"What's the matter?" he asked, looking more concerned.

Elsa bit her lip, a sign of frustration. She squeezed her eyes shut, then let it all out. "At the Council meeting, I learned that there was an arrangement made between my court and yours. The Northern Isles' Royal Court said that if the two of us were not wed, they'd dethrone you, legally handing the throne over to Yvonne, and let your people do whatever they wanted with you... and the way they saw it was..." She opened her eyes to see Henrik looking dumbstruck. Those beautiful emeralds of eyes were making it harder to tell this news to him. "They think the people would have you killed, and they'd allow it." she said sadly.

Henrik's strong grip on her hand loosened, and he looked like he made up his hand in a heartbeat. His next words alarmed Elsa.

"Well? Let's do it then. Let's get married."

* * *

_**Kisses! ~TwisedTelepath**_


	12. Love is Patient

**A/N: fcnoyes63, oh I know. I went over most of that early this morning, so you wanna take a look and see if it's good? I'm so bad at sticking to the time period, even though I have no idea what it is, because there are mentions of some things that aren't historically accurate, like bikes, which weren't properly invented until the 1800's, but yeah, I'll fix some stuff. Yes, I made a mistake with Henrik's age, and I'm going to fix that. Don't worry, you don't sound mean! :) I like critique. And yeah, I made sure I knew everyone's ages before writing. Thanks for that!**

**Oh, and, HMZ, you're totally on-point! What was I thinking?! UGH! Surely, I'm going to have to fit that in soon.**

**Haha, just came back from seeing Frozen again. Cried again. Re-inspired. I still love Hans although he's an evil jerk. And my crush on Kristoff is confirmed. Especially little Kristoff! And the animation is delightful. I hope it gets nominated for the Oscar for Best Animated Feature!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen, sadly.**

* * *

_Chapter 12: Love is Patient_

The sun was going into hiding as Olaf woke up from the nap Yvonne suggested. He gasped and stumbled up, since he decided that he would sleep in the hall to preserve time. It would take forever to run all the way down the stairway. He'd be wasting time! And what good was it to waste time when Santa would be here any minute? It was almost eleven! He pushed forward, trying to speed up with his running and saw Yvonne moving sluggishly, with a candlestick holder at hand, her eyes squinted. Her purple nightgown flowed as she walked. Her head turned towards Olaf, and her eyes popped open. She beckoned him and she started running down the hall.

Olaf followed her into dark room, where the only light was coming from her candle. She used it to light other candles in the room, and then set fire to the fireplace. She stood still above the fire, staring at it as it cracked and moved abruptly on the fat logs. Olaf walked up to her, not close enough to start melting, and touched her hand. He had an idea what she was thinking about.

"Are you scared of the fire?" he asked, looking at it with her. She nodded solemnly, her hands trembling. "It's okay. It's not going to hurt you. I'm here for you."

Yvonne smiled, nodding again. "_I know._" Her voice was barely a whisper. She looked up, past him. "We have some time. We should get everything together." She stepped away from the fireplace and moved quickly. Olaf shrugged and moved the wooden stool by the Christmas tree.

**.:.^*^.:.**

Elsa gaped at what Henrik propounded. It was risky. It was unexpected. But it certainly was a good idea, just to prevent all the malice that would come Henrik's way in the future. But she didn't want to rush her wedding. She remembered what she told Anna when she wanted to marry Hans. She couldn't marry a man she just met, despite how this man proved to be sweet, loyal, and charitable. Now she accepted that she had feelings for him, but she needed time to decide whether or not she loved him and wanted to spend her eternity with him. But it wasn't like she was reckless teenager. She was an adult, and she was sure she'd make the right choice. She just didn't want any bad repercussions to fall upon Henrik in result of her choice.

"I-I don't know what to say," she jabbered, looking at him frantically.

"I know it's not formal," Henrik started to say, "and it's so sudden, considering that we just met. But don't be scared. If you don't want to, I can suggest something else." Elsa waited to see what he had to say next. He looked around and faced her once again. "We could fake our engagement, and keep stalling the wedding."

"Suddenly your previous plan makes more sense." Elsa said. "Henrik, if we stall our 'wedding,' then the people will lose patient, and I'm afraid that some of them will take action. They'll realize there was never going to be a wedding, then they really will kill you." He frowned. She knew he knew she was right. "I think we should just wait out the time. Say, one year. We visit back and forth, so people think something is going on. Then, we can determine if we're ready for marriage."

Henrik looked fazed by her explanation, a hint of sadness in his expression, but he nodded. "All right. That sounds about right."

"Thank you for understanding." She smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow. Good night."

"Good night, Elsa." Henrik said, nodding. She turned and left for her bedroom.

**.:.^*^.:.**

Kristoff sighed, walking away from the castle stables. He tried talking to Sven about Anna and the Yvonne Incident, however, he didn't think he was a great help. He said if Anna really understood what happened, she'd come to him and apologize, but it didn't look like that was happening anytime soon. This was not how he wanted to spend his Christmas. He missed the old Christmases when it was just him and his reindeer, though every year it was the same gift - carrots. Well, he'd rather have to buy carrots than break his back getting anything else. But he didn't mind Yvonne's help in getting Anna's necklace. Hopefully, Olaf delivered it to her. He just wanted her to have it, even though she probably hated him.

"Kristoff!"

He turned his head at his name and saw Anna running to him. She opened her arms and hugged him, her head pressing in his chest. He was dazed for a minute, but then he recovered and hugged her back.

"Kristoff, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to accuse you of anything and make you feel bad! I let jealousy get the best of me when I should have heard the whole conversation instead of part of it. I was stupid, and I should have known better." Anna said, peeking up at him. "Do you forgive me?"

He noticed that she was wearing her necklace, and he smiled. "Of course I forgive you, Anna."

"I love my necklace." she said, wrapping her hand around his arm. "And... and I love you."

It seemed about right. Six months of getting to know each other, bonding, seeing the best and worse in each other. Kristoff knew he loved her, too. He loved everything about her from her awkwardness to her red hair, and he knew he wanted to be with her, no matter what obstacles would stand in their way. He wanted to make her happy, and nothing else. He would cherish her for as long as he would live.

He said, "I love you, too."

**.:.^*^.:.**

Elsa was about to slip into bed when someone knocked at the door. She groggily got up, longing to go to sleep, but answered the door anyway. Anna stood there, a wide grin on her face. Elsa knew what that meant. Anna was up to something, and there was a fifty percent chance that she wouldn't like the sound of it. She let her to anyway, willing to hear her out, figuring that she was her sister, and she'd do anything for her.

"So, what's going on with you and Henrik? I don't just let any guy steal my sister away from me." Anna said, holding her hands. Elsa sighed, trying to decide if she should tell Anna about the deal she and Henrik made, or wait to surprise her. "Oh-oh, I don't like that look. Is there another woman? What's her name?" she exclaimed, suddenly getting worked up.

"Anna, there's no other woman!" _She wouldn't stand a chance, anyway, _she wanted to say, but she knew that would sound threatening. "All I'm worried about is how poor Yvonne will be disappointed tomorrow morning."

"Why? What'd she ask for?"

"To see her parents again."

"Oh... that's... that's, uh, rough." Anna sighed. Elsa paid attention to the thoughtful look on her face, and saw how her eyes sparked up with excitement. "Hey! I've got an idea, hear me out, okay?"

Elsa nodded. Now she was scared.

* * *

**Short, shorter than usual, I know, but we will continue tomorrow with Christmas! I have some surprises, especially with during the day and the Winter Ball. Hope to see you guys soon, and check out the poll on my profile while you're still reading. :)**

_**Kisses! ~TwistedTelepath**_


	13. Keepsakes

**Disclaimer: My love for Frozen is strong, but it's not strong enough to buy the rights, so I don't own it.**

* * *

_Chapter 13: Keepsakes _

Yvonne held her hands close to her chest, looking down at her father's ring. Around this time, since her mother's birthday was the day after Christmas, Yvonne and her father would surprise her with presents in a 'Twelve Days of Christmas' way. They'd give her something on the fourteenth then her final gift was given on the twenty-fifth, then on her actual birthday, there would be a ball held for all of the Northern Isles' citizens to come, since her mother was fond of her people, despite their conspiracies against her and her family. She was a kind but strong woman, and her father was a loyal and wellborn man. It took her weeks to recover of their death, having constant visions of them roaming the halls, thinking she was talking to them. She felt crazy, and the staff knew it too. Little Princess Yvonne finally cracked.

But Uncle Henrik pulled her aside and convinced her that they were long-gone, and that there was nothing she could do about it, in the nicest way he could. He thought she was brave for actually showing her face to the people, and not in the way she thought. She liked to think of her scar as a battle scar, showing what she went through and how hard it was to give up what she loved the most. Henrik also let her know that she'd make a fine queen if anything ever happened to him.

Now Yvonne realized she was falling asleep. She shook her head, rubbing her eyes. She heard footsteps and her heart fluttered. She bounced up carefully, and saw that Olaf looked just as excited as she was. The two kept quiet.

Not too long after, an extremely tall, brown and brood-eyed man dressed in a red version of an ice harvester's outfit, with a white sash and gray inside fur peeking out of the collar. She didn't expect Santa to have seal skin boots, but she went along with it. She did recognize his long hat from fairy tale pictures, and his white beard was enough proof she needed. In his hands was an oversized sack.

"Santa?" Yvonne asked, jumping to him.

**.:.^*^.:.**

_"Can you do it?" Anna asked, her eyes pleading._

_Kristoff grunted as decline. "I can't dress up like Santa Claus, Anna, she's going to know it's me!" As much as he wanted to make Yvonne's Christmas wishes come true, he would not go against his nature and dress up like a jolly fat guy._

_"Come on, it's part of the plan! All you have to do is give Olaf this, and lead he two of them outside." Anna left a wooden spinning top on the palm of his hand. It had snowflakes carved into it. "You practically asked for this when you ate the cookies they left last time."_

_"I was hungry!"_

_"Please? For me?" She batted her eyes, pouting. He groaned, knowing he had no choice._

Kristoff blanked out his flashback of what occurred just minutes before he stepped in the room. The things he'd do for Anna.

"Ho, ho, ho!" he fake-chuckled. "Good morning, Princess! Have you been nice this year?" He wasn't sure he was supposed to ask that. Wouldn't Santa have known that? Matter of fact, wouldn't Santa's voice sound better? He doubted she would take his voice seriously, he sounded like Sven.

"Of course!" she squealed, jumping up. "Oh!" She took Olaf's hand and led him toward Kristoff. "This is my friend,–"

"Olaf the Snowman, no doubt!" He chuckled again, but they didn't know how nervous and ridiculous he felt. He stumped down on one knee and reached into his pocket, pulling out the spinning top Anna gave him. Olaf gasped, smiling wide. "I read your letter, and I hope you enjoy your present, Olaf."

"Oh, thank you, thank you, _thank you_, Mister Claus!" Olaf shouted. Instead of taking the top, he jumped into him, giving him a hug. He let go, a weird look on his face. "I thought Santa would smell like peppermint and candy canes, not sweat and reindeer."

Kristoff's eyes widened, afraid Yvonne would notice. She sniffed him too, but shrugged, saying, "Of course he smells like reindeer, he has eight of them, and he has to ride along with them all night!"

"Yes, correct, Princess!" Yvonne stiffened at the term 'princess,' but gradually accepted it. She looked up at him. "I suppose you couldn't bring my present?"

Kristoff smiled, and actually meant it. "Of course I did. Follow me."

Yvonne jumped in Kristoff's arms unexpectedly, but he caught her. He got up and brought her outside. He let her down in the snow, but kept by her to make sure she was warm. Surely Henrik would see to it that he'd pay if she got a cold.

Yvonne began crying, and Kristoff started to panic mentally. "What's wrong, Princess?" he asked wearily. "Don't you like your present?"

"_Like_ it?" she asked, as if she was disgusted. "I _love_ it!" She wiped her tears, giggling. She jumped towards the two ice sculptures, which looked like exact replicas of her deceased parents. The tall figure with a comb-over hairstyle was supposed to look like King Adrian. She touched one of his dozen medals, the ones that hung from his blouse. She touched his icy hand and looked at her mother, whose hair was half-up and half-down, a tiara peeking from behind her bangs. She dress draped down, and one hand was intertwined with her father's. Elsa did an _amazing_ job.

"I'm glad you love it," Kristoff said happily. Yvonne paused out of her happiness and skipped to him, tossing her arms over him.

"Thank you, Santa. I'll never stop believing." she said quietly. Kristoff smirked, rubbing his hand on her back.

_Somebody's gotta tell her sooner or later_, he thought.

"Hi, Yvonne's parents!" exclaimed Olaf, waving at them. Yvonne turned back, laughing, and went to him. Kristoff noticed Elsa and Anna gesturing for him to come in the corner of the courtyard. Elsa created a fog and he slipped away, ringing the bell he was given to make it sound like he was flying away in his sleigh.

**.:.^*^.:.**

"I cannot thank the three of you enough," Henrik breathed, helping Kristoff out of his getup. He yanked off the false beard too forcefully by accident. "Sorry!" he sputtered afterward.

"It's all right, Your Majesty." Kristoff said, rubbing the redness on his chin and cheeks.

"It's the least we can do in return for your graciousness." Elsa added, touching his shoulder with her pale, cold hand. Instead of coldness, he chose to feel heat. "I think the experience was fun for all of us, especially since it was last-minute." She shot a look at Anna, but her younger sister simply smiled in response. Henrik chuckled. He loved the relationship the two had.

"I think we all need some celebratory hot chocolate." said Anna, putting her hands on her hips. "Am I right?"

"Ooh, that sounds spectacular right now." Henrik mused, suddenly feeling hungry. The four laughed and Anna went away, but Elsa still followed to help her. It was just him and Kristoff now. "You know, you don't have to call me 'Your Majesty' all the time, Kristoff." he said with a weak smile. He had been spending so much time with the queen, he never bothered to connect with the mountain man.

"It's the right thing to do, sir." he answered.

Henrik shook his head. "In the eyes of the public, it's the right thing to do. In private, to me, it's considered silly. Don't think of me as a king. Think of me as an old friend worth getting to know again."

"Yes, Your– um, friendliness." Henrik laughed. "Okay, Henrik." Kristoff said, correcting himself. Henrik's smirked, liking the lad's fumbling, raw manners, since it was something he was not used to.

**.:.^*^.:.**

Elsa stirred the teaspoon at her hand in one of the teacups before her, and she was proud that she wasn't feeling distraught anymore. Her effervescent and creative sister had come through for her, brewing up this plan, and she trusted her enough to carry it along. She was glad to see the tears of joy and playful smile when she saw her creation. It was the best thing she could do in replacement of the girl's parents, and she wouldn't have thought of it without Anna's help.

"How many spoonfuls of sugar do you think the guys want?" Anna asked from the other side of the kitchen.

"The only person who likes to make their hot chocolate sweeter is you, Anna," Elsa glowed, stirring in the next cup.

"Are you sure Henrik doesn't have a sweet tooth? It took me a while to persuade Kristoff to try sweets, but I finally corrupted him with carrot cake a couple weeks ago." Anna brought a silver tray that had four saucers on it.

Elsa rolled her eyes and carefully placed two of her fine china on two of the saucers. She put the other two on the empty ones and set teaspoons beside every cup.

"Henrik enjoys krumkake with a glass of eggnog." Elsa said suddenly, shyly looking down at the arrangement of the teacups. She looked up and saw Anna staring her down. "What?"

"Just know that whatever you choose to do," Anna said, "I'm by your said and I'm here to help. I think Henrik's a nice guy for you, and that you deserve to find happiness."

Elsa raised her brow. Did Anna know about the Royal Court's arrangements?

"What makes you say that?" Elsa asked, secretly alerted by her sister's words.

"Because it's pretty obvious that he's going to sweep you off your feet at the Winter Ball." Anna smirked, taking the tray from Elsa, then heading off into the next room. Elsa crossed her arms, quietly giggling.

* * *

_**Kisses! ~TwistedTelepath**_


	14. O Holy Morning

**A/N: I think this is going to be all wrapped up (no pun intended; it was weak anyway) by the new year, then I'm pretty sure I'm going to launch into a series of Kristoff and Anna one-shots for the winter season. So then, taking what most of you are saying seriously, I will attempt to work on a Henrik and Elsa spinoff! But let's see what the poll on my profile says and what you guys says after the story's done first!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen, I just play along with the characters.**

* * *

_Chapter 14: O Holy Morning_

Light shone through the window in Anna's bedroom, causing her to slowly open her eyes. Once again, there was no surprise that it was snowing, but this set of snow caused the sky to look foggy, and the snowflakes were descending down faster. The cold air crept into her room, but underneath the bundle of impenetrable wool blankets, she was warm and cozy. But sadly, she had to get up from her comfort and start to prepare for today's festivities.

There was exchanging and opening presents down in the foyer at eleven, then the town and prehaps other visitors would enter the palace towards quarter-past seven, leaving a plentiful amount of time for everyone to change into ball attire, and the Winter Ball would of course start once the queen arrived.

Anna rolled out of bed, and unto the floor with a 'thump.' She groaned and crawled over to her vanity, then stood up. She almost had heart failure when she saw her mess of hair, sticking up in wild directions, tangled and fuzzy. She sighed and engaged into battle with it, taking her brush and pulling it down. At first, her hair resisted the pull, going back up. She frowned, but continued to tame it. Eventually, it went along with her way, going smoothly down. She braided it into her signature two pigtail braids.

She cleaned up and put on a simple dress composed of long, cream sleeves, a white sweetheart bodice, and tan skirts. She slipped into black flat shoes and ran down out of her room, gleefully. She slid down the railing of the stairs, enjoying how she spun in loops. When it came to the end of the staircase, she pushed her weight back and slowed down, then stepped on the floor.

Anna hurried off the foyer. She smiled when she saw Yvonne sitting on the floor, with her ice-sculptured parents behind her. Someone must have moved them inside for her. Elsa, who was standing behind her, was moving her hands in different directions gracefully, small wind currents flowing around her hands. The temperature in the foyer became colder, probably to support ice figures' durability. Henrik sat next to Yvonne, passing her a small, flat present wrapped in velvet purple cloth and tied in white ribbon. Her eyes lit up and she started to undo the ribbon.

Anna joined her sister in sitting down on the floor with a smile.

"What'd you get me?" she asked smugly.

"..." Elsa raised her eyebrow. "Um, my gift is my love and good wishes for the new year." Anna huffed as her sister snickered. Elsa got up and vanished into the next room. She came out minutes later with a smirk and her hands bound behind her back. She fell daintily and presented her sister with a tangle of green, white, and red ribbon tied in knots, and a pink flower talisman strung to it. Anna smiled brightly and stretched her wrist out. Elsa fastened it around her wrist.

"Elsa, I love it." she said, running her fingers along the complicated pattern. "I will never take it off."

"I'm glad you like it." Elsa held up her own wrist, showing she had a similar bracelet. Hers had knots in shades of blue, white, and purple, and a snowflake charm hanging from it. The two laughed in unison and embraced in a hug.

After the hug, Anna's mind ran on Kristoff.

"Has anyone seen Kristoff?" she pondered.

"He went to fetch ice by the lake again, Anna," Henrik said. "He will be back momentarily."

Anna's excited mood died down. She replied, determinedly, "I'll wait for him, then." She got up and exited the room.

**.:.^*^.:.**

While Anna went to go wait for Kristoff, who would still take hours to come, Elsa watched Yvonne write in her new journal. She stood near Henrik, who was cross-armed, looking very self-satisfied. She elbowed him, giving him a look. He grinned wide, but the happiness disappeared from his face. He ran off to the corner of the foyer and picked up a large, square-shaped present wrapped in light blue cloth, with swirling and brilliant snowflakes on it. They were probably hand-drawn. He rushed back over and offered it to Elsa with a bow.

"For you, my queen." he said.

Elsa accepted it with caution. Knowing Henrik for this long, she knew that anything was possible. She started to undo the wrapping, and gasped at the sight of her present. It was the portrait he was painting of her, finally finished. It captured every detail of her, from the glints of her dress to the blue in her eyes, the braiding of her hair and the wistful expression of her face. The foggy glass of the window, her hand placed on it, had frost and a large snowflake on it, but it didn't block the scenery of the outside world.

"Henrik," she murmured, "I-I don't know what to say."

"Thank you?" he guessed, passing his hand through his hair. Elsa realized that was his signature thing to do.

She set the painting down beside her and hugged the king, broadly thankful for his time and effort in her Christmas present. "Thank you so much. It's beautiful." she said, her voice directed at his chest, making it sound muffled.

"You're welcome."

The two departed from the hug. Henrik's cheeks had a red tinge, and Elsa cleared her throat, once again feeling awkward tension between them. She felt surprised she didn't freeze him with that hug.

"King Henrik?"

Henrik turned towards the door, and Elsa spotted Tatia standing there by the door frame.

"Yes?" he asked, putting on a warm smile.

"It's time for your fitting." Tatia told him with a curtsey. Henrik nodded and she left. He turned to Elsa, then said, "I have to go. I'll see you as soon as I can." She nodded, a feeble smile on her twitching lips. He went off, and she was left with Yvonne in the foyer.

Yvonne wore a smirk, her eyes up from her book. "I smell some feelings."

Elsa faltered, looking wide-eyed at her. Was it _that _obvious? "I, uh, don't know what you are talking about..."

Yvonne hummed, flipping a page in her book. "Do not mind me, Your Majesty, I just like seeing my uncle happy." she said flippantly, causally stretching out her legs and crossing them. Elsa eyed her, perplexed, but went back to respecting Henrik's painting.

**.:.^*^.:.**

"And then, he gave me the spinning top I wanted! He knew my name and everything!" Olaf beamed, leading the way back to the castle. Kristoff smirked, rolling his eyes. Obviously, he knew all that went on last night, but of course Olaf didn't know that he knew. "But then he smelt funny. Sort of like you. But I guess everyone who has a reindeer smells like that."

Sven made noise, and Kristoff knew he felt insulted. He spoke up for him, saying, "It's okay, buddy, he didn't mean it."

"I didn't?" Olaf asked cluelessly. He shrugged and raced forward through the snow. Kristoff leaned back in the sled, trying to find peace.

_Today's a good day... I mean, I got some work done, _he thought. _There's a nice load of ice behind me. I'm just surprised that people want ice in the winter. It's everywhere. Well, as long as I get paid, I'm not complaining. It's a rough business. Still not sure if 'Royal Ice Master and Deliverer' is a thing. I'm sure Anna came_ _up_-

The halt of the sled interrupted his thoughts. He jerked forward, losing his former cool balance. He looked ahead to see that they were already at the palace gates, and that Anna was waiting patiently by them, a few guards behind her. Kristoff cleared his throat and got up as refined as he could, but ended up tumbling out the sled. He needed to work on that.

"Merry Christmas!" exclaimed Anna, coming to his side and aiding him up.

He regained consciousness of what was going on, then said back, "Merry Christmas."

Sven gave him a look, then continued inside the gates. The guards led the reindeer and the ice away to the stables, presumably, and the couple was left in privacy. Anna tugged Kristoff inside, her grip squeezing his arm all too tight.

"Are you ready for your present?" she asked, her braids flaring up.

"Anna, I told you I didn't want anything for Christmas." Kristoff scoffed. "I'm a simple guy, I don't like-" He shut up and stared at what she held in both of her hands.

"Fine. Do you know how _hard _it is to find a replacement pickax for one you go on and on about, claiming that it was 'your very first ever'?" She held up the pickax steadily. "Sorry your other one... drowned." It had a red ribbon on the head. The metal was sleek and shiny, not like his old one. The handle, made out of thick wood, was dark and sturdy. He could only imagine how much he could get done now.

"Amazing," was all he could say as Anna passed it on to him. "I love this!"

"Like you said, you're a simple guy. You would probably freak out if I got you an elaborate gift." Anna continued. "See? I was thinking."

"Thank you." he said, pulling her close. She smiled and pecked a kiss on his cheek.

* * *

_**Kisses! ~TwistedTelepath**_


	15. A Winter Wonderland

**A/N: I love your reviews, HMZ. (No offence to everyone else, you guys are awesome, too!) You don't just compliment me on my writing, but you suggest things and ask questions that I love answering! **

**Fourteen chapters are not all I have a store. I'm hoping to stop somewhere in the twenties, late-twenties (I'll see where the inspiration train gets me)? I changed my mind about the 27th, somewhere after the new year is when I'll be stopping. Originally I said 27th because of my semester finals, but that's not an excuse to stop this story, I realized. I'll just update late on that day.**

**Yes, pushing the Henrik and Elsa subplot a little to the side, I'll be focusing more (by semi-popular demand) on Kristoff and Anna's subplot, as well on Yvonne and Olaf. So, the Winter Ball will be delayed for a few chapters, approximately three to four.**

**And yeah, guys, this is the Kristanna chapter I promised :)**

**Oh, and Mr. Boar, yes! I'm currently running through some ideas for a spinoff, but it would mainly be one for Henrik and Elsa. I haven't worked out everything out yet, but I'm bound to let you know when I do.**

**Disclaimer: Frozen doesn't belong to me, all of it belongs to Disney.**

* * *

_Chapter 15: A Winter Wonderland_

Making a face quizzically, Anna bit her lip in order to let her train of thought flow. There were still a handful of hours left in between now and the ball, and the new pickax was just a start. Spending Christmas with Kristoff was now her undertaking. The guy hadn't spent Christmas with _real _people, only with rolling rocks for most of his life, so she wasn't sure he knew what Christmas was anymore. She committed herself to spend the smattering of hours in his company, and they'd explore Christmas together, hopefully mostly by themselves, although she wouldn't mind Olaf and Sven tagging along, but Olaf probably had plans with Yvonne, seeing that they were practically best friends now.

"Why do you have that sly smile on your face?" Kristoff asked.

Anna's smirk only turned into a full-fledged grin at this. "We're going on a winter adventure today, and you have no choice but to like it."

Kristoff glowered for a few moments, then breathed. "All right. Where to, Feisty Pants?" The tickle in her stomach summoned by her supposed nickname aside, Anna shook her head stubbornly, refusing to give him valuable information. "What, you're not going to tell me?" Anna shook her head again, another smile playing on her lips. "Wow. That's helpful."

She nodded instead this time. "Yes."

**.:.^*^.:.**

Where they were going? Kristoff had no clue as to where. All he knew was that they were now out of Arendelle and it was bewildering that the princess had so much freedom outside the palace walls, taking into account that just months ago, there were people who wanted her and her sister dead. What kind of faulty system of security did the kingdom have after all?

_Unless they're in on this, _he thought, dragging his feet through the snow.

As much as Kristoff loved Anna, this whole thing was a mystery, and her aloofness was making him suspicious... and the slightest bit nervous. Notwithstanding, he still wanted to see what she had in mind for today, plus they had seven hours to do whatever she wanted. He was in no rush to go to that ball. He felt like an oddball in a room with people who had ten times more class than him. Besides, he _never _wanted to wear the things they put on. They looked so uncomfortable.

They reached the top of the peak of the hill they were walking up and Anna's blue eyes ignited with trill. She went behind a heap of snow and pulled out a tan sled and set it up in front of him.

"We're going sledding!" she announced.

"Anna, do you understand how dangerous sledding is from up here?" He glimpsed at the bottom, noticing a large platform of snow that _looked _safe enough to fall on, but he was skeptic about how much weight it could handle.

"We're safe, don't worry so much. Relax and get on."

Anna looked patient as Kristoff got on the sled involuntarily, muttering a few things. She started to push the sled, but made sounds of struggle. He mused with laughter, then got up to let her take his place in front of the sled. With Anna in the sled, he started pushing, then hopped on as they slid down the hill. He held her waist so she wouldn't fall off. She started screaming, not out of fear, but out of amusement. He laughed.

Both of them tilted to the right to avoid coming in contact with a rock, then to the left, to bypass an evergreen tree. They laughed together, sharing a look. Coming out of his enjoyment, Kristoff looked ahead, seeing that they were of-course and about to crash into a snow bank. He panicked, sputtering to Anna, then held her bracing for impact. They submerged with the snow bank, and thank goodness there were no hidden tree stumps or rocks. Just plain, fluffy snow.

He pulled both himself and Anna out, and shook his head to shake off most of the snowy powder. Anna, however, even though covered in snow, looked unfazed. She jumped up.

"Let's do that again!" she shouted blithely.

Kristoff groaned, falling back into the snow, his arms spread out.

**.:.^*^.:.**

After pulling the sled out of the snow bank, Anna plopped down on the fresh slush on the ground. Kristoff fell down, not exactly _elegantly_, next to her. The way he had his blonde hair in his eyes, laced with snow, surprisingly made him look adorable. She couldn't help but giggle.

"Did you ever made a snow angel?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Uh, how do you make one?"

She laughed, "Did you just ask me _how _to make a snow angel." He nodded, looking puzzled as to why she was laughing. "It's simple. Look, just move your arms up and down and at the same time, move your legs. Like this." She started swinging her arms and legs in unison. "Come on, you can do it!"

He looked awkward trying to replicate her movements. "Like this?" he questioned. He was getting the hang of it.

"Perfect."

After a while, Anna got up and stood back to look at her work. A moderately good-looking snow angel laid in her place, but looked like it had two long horns, maybe because of her braids. She made a small frown, but shrugged it off as if it was nothing. She looked at Kristoff, who was still swinging his arms and legs.

"You can get up now," Anna told him, rubbing her mittens together. The mountain man got up and jolted to her. She peered at his snow angel, which actually looked better than hers. Was it because she was so focused on teaching him instead of perfecting her own? She smiled in approval, rubbing his dusty shoulder. "It looks _amazing._"

"Are you being sarcastic?" Kristoff asked, his expression muddled as he examined his creation. "That's how it's supposed to look like?"

"Yes! It's beautiful!" she cried, her arms shooting up, her right hand incidentally flicking him in his face. She lowered her arms and burned with shame. "I'm so sorry!"

Instead of being mad, he gave her a blameless smile, his brows raised. "No worries. But I still think it looks awful."

Anna heaved, sending a blow in his chest. Impassive to this hit, he pushed her with one hand, making her fall into the snow. He cringed and lent her his hand. She took it, sitting up, and pulled him down. He fell to her force, sitting beside her, chuckling.

**.:.^*^.:.**

Knowing that roughly three hours had passed by already, Kristoff didn't know where Anna could possibly take him next. Their trek was on foot, of course, and he worried that Anna would become winded soon. However, she looked relatively energetic and optimistic, leading the way through the deep snow. The winter spectacle they were walking through looked beautiful, composed of icicles hanging off the snow-graced branches of trees, which looked white due to conditions. Frozen water drops hung from leaves, and many flowers, remarkably sustained in frost and ice, were still in tip-top shape. The winds passing through the air were chilly, but that completely horrid. It was great weather to stay out for hours, but that was his opinion.

As they stopped in the middle of the winter wonderland, he noticed Anna had a knapsack slung over her shoulder. He subjectively pondered what she had in it.

"We're here." she sang, taking down the sack from her shoulder. She tossed ice skates his way, and he made sure he caught them, for the sake that the blades didn't go into his chest. "Strap 'em on."

"You're full of surprises today." Kristoff commented heedlessly.

"I know right!" Anna pulled on her own ice skates, then laced them up.

"I don't understand how a girl who can't ice skate for her life decides it upon herself to ice skate without assistance."

"Elsa's been giving me pointers!" she protested, holding onto his shoulder. He now noticed the frozen lake ahead. Rather than having Anna limp towards the lake, he picked her up in his arms and brought her over to the pond to let her down steadily. She wobbled at first, attempting to glide across the ice, and soon got the hang of it, spinning around and moving around the petrified water, cheering for herself.

He shook his head in thought and joined her on the ice, making his way to her. She interlaced her fingers with his and they moved smoothly together across the ice. It was going good, both of them going suavely and swan-like on the ice... until Anna tripped over her own her feet, bringing Kristoff down with her. The ice didn't crack or anything, but he winced at the impact the fall had on his rear.

Anna had her face puckered up and she fell into his lap like a young child. She said, "Okay... _Maybe _I'm not ice skater material." in a strangled voice.

* * *

**Feeling short, I know, but there's another Kristanna coming up, so that should be really fun! Did you guys like it? Any more suggestions?**

_**Kisses! ~TwistedTelepath**_


	16. To Befriend Snow

**ARGH! Stupid shutdown held me back from updating, guys! Don't worry, the update is here, and this time, it's a Yvonne and Olaf based chapter! **

**Up ahead, possible appearance by the trolls? Yes? No? And then the Winter Ball starts after that. Get ready! :3**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, sorry.**

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_Chapter_ _16: To Befriend Snow_

_There was a kingdom, hidden behind the mountains and all of civilization. This kingdom, being way up north in Scandinavian country, had piles of snow and shear ice surrounding it, and because of these circumstances, there was a fading population of the kingdom's villagers, most dying illness and unprotection. In this kingdom, there lived a royal family, one made up of a king, a queen, a prince, who was the king's brother, and a young princess, the king and queen's beloved daughter, who was naïve and innocent to what was going on around her._

_The king, despite his charming looks and persuasive personality, had immense tribulations in running his kingdom. He wanted to reflect upon his deceased father's rule, which was well-known and great amongst the land, and went out of his way to please his people. His loyal wife aided him the best she could, but stress got the best of her, affecting both her health and beauty. The younger prince remained unfazed and lived free, often sneaking out of the heavily guarded palace walls to explore the land, spending time alone in nature and resembled a free spirit, and his reckless rebelliousness pained his elder brother. The princess was too young to recognize anything wrong with her parents, and concentrated on her schoolwork and playing. _

_Little did the king know, a cult-like society was forming in the midst of the village, practicing against the king, plotting to overthrow him. They had simple acts of treason, rallying mobs in the town square and encouraging havoc against newly declared laws and rules. But their most pivotal complicity against the king was setting fire to his castle whilst he was in slumber. Although successful in this action, most of the cult were withheld in the remains of the dungeon. The young princess became orphaned and the prince became her legal guardian. Security increased in the palace, and almost immediately, the new king was the prince, who developed from a reckless and foolish young man into a serious and well-collected man by the age of eighteen, due to constant preparation classes held in the castle for him. The orphaned princess held a scar on her face from the fire, and also matured eventually for her young age.  
_

_This kingdom is now in better shape than it was before, but still had rumored conspiracies and people who want the princess to become queen more than anything and are planning on overthrowing the king, sadly, just like his deceased older brother._

Yvonne finished reading, slamming the large book, which appeared outdated, but held up-to-date information. She hated reading the same story over and over again, but Emil insisted that it was prior to her future. How could such a horrible tale be pertaining to her future? When the time came for her to become queen, she wanted to take the throne as long as her uncle died of natural cause or old age, not of conspired murder. And she thought he ruled fine, with eloquence, meekness, and poise, and he always put other people's needs before his own. She wanted to rule like that, but apparently, others thought the way he ruled was against his teachings, and they thought the same of her father. How dare they stain her father's name? She knew her subjects were of importance, but they didn't have to act so greedy and manipulative at times.

"Did you read it?" Emil asked. She remembered that the guard was by her side as she sat in the room in the Arendellian castle which displayed fine artwork. She put the book beside her and nodded. "Is the image in your head?"

"Why must I read this, Emil, if I may?" Yvonne asked dryly. "Please do _not_ say it is prior to my future reign as queen, because I see no connection."

"Well, Yvonne, as a long-term friend of both your father and your uncle, I do not what the people of the Northern Isles to think this way of you, in all due respect to both men. The people think a more graceful hand, a queen's hand, in rule will be better for the kingdom, which is why they favor you as the rightful heir you are." Emil answered, his brown eyes still gazing across the room.

Yvonne silenced, thinking about this. Confused, she said, "But that is not an excuse to take out their distaste in the form of such brash behavior and schemes."

"Sometimes people think before they act, either out of anger or out of sadness. We cannot control this." Emil said softly. Yvonne noticed the darkness in his eyes now, along with the pain-filled expression. She couldn't blame him; she knew he missed his best friend dearly, and that no one could replace him, not even her uncle.

"Come on, Emil, don't cry on Christmas." she soothed, standing up and holding his shoulder, her fingers pressing on his gray uniform. She looked at it. She'd clearly had to change the color if she became queen, maybe to something more cheerful. Royal blue? Red? Gold?

"I just want the best for you."

It wasn't just how Emil forced her to read up on her kingdom's history, but how he encouraged her to take pride in her etiquette and stateship, so that she could please the people. He wanted nothing more than applause and approval for her, but she wasn't sure she could express the potential of a future queen to him and her people, despite how much she wanted to.

**.:.^*^.:.**

Olaf hummed buoyantly as he sauntered down the hall, exultant over the fact that he got _exactly_ what he wanted for Christmas. He wondered how Santa did it. He wondered if Santa was omnipotent. What if Santa was psychic? He knew he sent him that letter, but what was the extent of his power? What could Santa _not_ do? Did he only come on Christmas? When was his birthday? Of course Olaf needed to know when his birthday was, so he could send him a present!

He sighed dreamily and continued down the hall, turned the corner. He collided with another body in the hall. His body's limbs (snow parts) popped in different directions, his torso sliding to the other side of the hall, his butt going forward, and his head going into the person's lap.

He opened his eyes and saw that his head was in Yvonne's lap. Both of them chuckled together as Olaf's torso rolled over. Yvonne successfully attached it to his head.

"Where's my butt?" Olaf asked, looking down.

"I think it's behind me," Yvonne informed, tuning her head. She smiled and took his behind, then set it in front of him. She lifted him up and completed him. "Perfect. You're not buttless anymore."

"Yay!" he belted out. "Now, what're we gonna do today, buddy?"

Yvonne put on a philosophic look, stroking her chin. "Well, I'd say build a snowman, but I'm afraid I'd offend you, Olaf."

He laughed his signature guffaw. "We should make deserts!" he proposed, a hysterical grin on his face. "I'm in the mood for some cakes. I've always wanted to taste cake."

"Wouldn't we have cake at the ball later?"

"Aw."

Yvonne looked subdued in her thoughts, averting her eyes away from Olaf. He questioned what was going on in that mind if hers. She finally said after a while, "I've got an idea. Just meet me outside in a few minutes." She rose and dashed off.

Olaf stared after her, trying to think of what was on the princess' mind. But he shrugged and straddled down the hall to go down the stairs.

**.:.^*^.:.**

"My lady, are you sure you want to work on that by yourself?"

Yvonne nodded, patting the snow as fast as she could. She could have bothered Queen Elsa, but she chose to build this thing by herself. She decided not to rely on the queen's cryokinetic powers, since she figured she'd be caught up with royal affairs.

She smoothed the snow underneath her mittens and smile with satisfaction. Hopefully no offense would come to her snowy friend. She hoped Olaf would like it.

Speaking of the snow golem, he entered the courtyard and gasped as if he needed more air. He stared and gaped at the figure behind Yvonne.

"I. Love. Her!" he said in awe.

Yvonne smiled back at the snowwoman behind her, who was made at the exact shape and size of Olaf. She had coal eyes, pursing lips, a smaller carrot nose, strands of twigs for hair, and a small coat, to cover her imaginary chest of course. It would be a shame to have a woman exposed like that, even if she was built of snow.

"Her name is Sunniva." Yvonne told him. Olaf squealed and went over to "Sunniva." He hugged her, closing his eyes. Yvonne buzzed with laughter, smiling at him. "It's silly."

"Are you kidding? She's amazing! If only she were real..." He sighed dramatically, collapsing. "Oh well! I have the rest of the winter to spend with her! Thanks, Yvonne!"

Yvonne laughed harder, then recovered, realizing she was sounding like a fool. She collected herself in a graceful manner.

"Well, originally, I was going to make a small snow palace, but then ball's too soon, and we'd never get to have any real fun."

Olaf smiled, looking more serious. "It's okay. The time we have together means enough. It feels like I've known you forever."

Yvonne almost choked up. "Aw... Olaf, it feels the same way. To be honest, I never really had a friend before, and I never thought it was possible to befriend snow, but, you're he best friend I've ever had."

Olaf let to of Sunniva to go hug Yvonne by the waist. Yvonne smiled, hugging him back. She'd sure cry over the snowman when she left to go home.

* * *

**AH! It's horrible! Well, not that horrible! I kind of wanted to reflect on Yvonne's relationship with Emil, give a little insider on him, then go into her friendship with Olaf. And who knows? Maybe Sunniva will become real one day and Olaf will have a girlfriend! :) **

_**Merry Late Christmas! ~TwistedTelepath**_


	17. Promises

**A/N: I seriously hate fanfiction this week. Oh well. Still have to update!**

**I'm a filthy liar. I can't stay away from Henrik and Elsa, despite being shorter than usual. Oh well, please forgive me, but even though the characters' names are in alphabetical order, Elsa is the main character of this story, and sometimes her subplot has to come first. But we still have some Kristanna caring moments!**

**Disclaimer: I really don't own Frozen, but I can pretend I do.**

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_Chapter 17_: _Promises_

Elsa noticed that everyone—minus the staff—had gone about their own business outside or out embarking on an adventure for the day. And she was... in her room, by herself. She didn't even know why.

The Council had requested to see her earlier, but she declined, fed up with them already. Of course she would see them after the ball, because she didn't mean her inner rage, but she still didn't like the concept of them picking and choosing who she would marry and organizing her life as if she were a child again. She was a full-grown woman now, not a princess, but a queen. Surely she could resolve all their bad tension somehow, it would simply take time to think of a way how.

Someone knocked quietly on her chamber door. Elsa out away her thoughts, wearing a more suitable expression now.

"Enter," she said, sitting up on her bed.

Tatia came in, followed by Gerda, both handling a bundle of blue fabrics. Elsa closed her eyes, not wanting to see her gown before the ball. She knew the maidens had worked hard on it, and they respected her choice. Though sometimes she felt the blue was overdone with her style, it was her favorite color and she modeled it well. Maybe at the next ball, she'd mix the blue with violet.

The door closed, giving Elsa a clear sign that she could open her eyes. The dress was most likely tucked away in her wardrobe. She'd see it in the next few hours.

Elsa wasn't expecting another visitor—let alone Henrik. He looked as though he just awoke from a nap, since he had a few marks on his face, possibly from his hand, his hair looking swept by the wind, but not in its usual way, and a line of fresh drool going from the corner of his mouth to his chin. She resisted the urge to laugh, seeing that this unkempt look was humorous.

He yawned, "Good evening."

"Good evening, Henrik." she greeted, crossing her legs. "Enjoy your nap?"

He gave her a smile, looking as if in a dream, his glorious dimples making it look perfect. "I'm surprised you didn't hear me. Emil told me I interrupted a Council meeting."

Elsa coughed a giggle, now feeling better that she wasn't at the meeting. She probably wouldn't have heard anything, anyway. She couldn't blame him. He was probably up all night, finishing her portrait.

"I tried to keep my snoring to a limit, but I cannot help if I'm a heavy sleeper." Henrik continued, coming to sit next to Elsa. She rubbed her finger by the corner of her mouth, hinting at him. His squinted eyes opened and he gave a nervous smile. He took a linen handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his mouth clean.

"My apologies." he said, putting the cloth away.

"You, Yvonne, and your guard are departing tomorrow at noon?" Elsa asked to make sure, a dark feeling growing in her. He nodded, grimacing. She didn't want him to go. She was just getting to know him. She felt for him, both emotionally and (though she never wanted to reveal it aloud) romantically. She could relate to him. She knew he feared too. She knew he lived in it.

"Believe me when I say so, Elsa, I don't want to leave," Henrik spoke, a hurtful glint in his eyes. "I see that Yvonne is happy here, as am I, since I find Arendelle less intimidating than my homeland. But, sadly, I have duties to fulfill back home, and so does she. We enjoy all if you, and all of you have been so genuinely kindhearted to us... something I haven't experienced in a while. I will do whatever I can to visit once again, or arrange for you and your company to visit us someday."

Elsa tried not to show how much she was fighting his words, but failed inevitably. "Yvonne still has her seventeenth birthday party." she expressed with a smile, her eyes still focused on the floor.

Henrik chuckled, nodding. "Yes. I guess there's that."

Elsa placed her hand in Henrik's, aware of how small her hand was in his, her chill against his heat. "I'll always be here for you," she let him know, "and we will find a way to help you."

"Thank you." He squeezed her hand, and although she tried to battle it, her insides felt elated and overwhelmed. Never in her life did she come so close with a man who wasn't her father. And she never felt this sort of way for another man.

.:.^*^.:.

Henrik left Elsa's bedroom with jitters. He'd return shortly, since the queen asked him to, he just needed to retrieve his sketchpad and lead. He felt horribly stupid. He had walked in so casual, so gruff, like it was an everyday thing, and Elsa always managed to look and act effortlessly beautiful and regal. That's another reason why he admired her dearly. So perfect, yet so imperfect at the same time.

He entered his guest room, going to the corner of the room where his art supplies lingered. He groaned at the dirty, muggy water in a jar, now feeling inferior to her neat ways. He usually made an effort to keep everything in order, but his things were not winding up in the ways he wanted them to.

He emptied it in the washroom sink, then gathered his paintbrushes to drop them in another jar, this one on his bedside table. He took up his lead and his canvas, later making his way to her chambers again.

"Your Majesty,"

Henrik turned abruptly to see Emil behind him. He sighed with relief, clutching onto his book and gripping his lead.

"Shouldn't you be dressed? It's almost time."

"I just have to, uh, take care of some issues with the queen, I'll go to get dressed after. Thank you." He strayed away, but still felt Emil's eyes on him. He made it to Elsa's room once again and she was by her wardrobe, leaning against the wall. The pale light of the room brought up her profile wonderfully, perfect to draw.

"You look as if you have seen a ghost." Elsa said, looking at him with compassion in her gaze.

"Oh, I'm just jumpy from sleep, that's all," Henrik answered, turning his book to a clean page, then pressing his lead on the paper. He looked up at her, memorizing her image in his brain, then represented it unto the paper with marks of shapes to make up her body and face. He stenciled her eyebrows and her nose, then looked up again.

"Are you nervous?"

He nodded, capturing her image again, then rubbing where he messed up on her hair, which was kept in a single braid. "I don't know why, I just keep feeling shaken. I feel pressure, but the reasons are unknown. I need some form of peace." He streaked a line in her blank face, determining where her eyes were to go.

"You and me both." Elsa told him. "But there aren't any worries tonight. Nothing drastic will happen, I'll promise you that. I'll promise you a lovely evening."

He knew she meant to comfort him, but couldn't help but think the opposite of them.

* * *

_**Kisses! ~TwistedTelepath**_


	18. Treason

**Disclaimer: Frozen belongs to Walt Disney Productions, but this story's concepts and OCs belong to me.**

* * *

_Chapter 18: Treason_

Henrik sucked in his breath, looking in the mirror in his room. Trying to figure out what to do with his hair was difficult. It was always the same. It was always in its scruffy state, the blonde locks tousled in various ways, kept on the top of his head. He didn't like the comb-over because it made him feel old. Pulling it back would only make him feel weird. He wanted to keep it how it was, but then he feared that Elsa would see that he didn't make an effort to comb his hair.

He sighed, his mind running on Elsa now. She would definitely look outstanding and lavishing tonight, another given reason why he needed to look his best. The outfit that the handmaidens tailored for him was dashing, but it all reflected on how he would make it look.

Usually, he didn't care about looks this much, but impressing Elsa was the number one thing on his agenda currently. Besides, he had two days before he returned home. Why not sweep her off her feet tonight? But he wasn't really going for something out of a fairytale, since that would be a bit much. Dazzling her at least was a must. Deep inside, however, he felt nothing to worry about. As long as he kept true to himself, then tonight would go as he mentally planned. He wanted to make it memorable, but it wasn't like he was going to propose to her... well, he thought of it, but he knew he was pushing it.

Henrik looked at the time, and saw that it was becoming close to seven. He backed away from the mirror on the wall and started to dress. His tailored gray trousers were easy to pull on, seeing that they acceptable to his height. His dress shoes were easy to put on as well. It was just the rest of his attire that was hard. He soon got the hang of it. He looked back in the mirror, rolling back his shoulders, examining his uncomfortably heavy shoulder clasps, sighing. He pulled on white hand gloves and made sure none of his medals were standing out on the blue fabric of his shirt. The king in the mirror looked elegant and sophisticated, suitable to address the Queen of Arendelle.

But the man on the outside was a nervous wreak.

**.:.^*^.:.**

Anna carefully swept down the hall in her ball gown. It had a light green bodice matched with a white blouse, a dark green skirt, white stockings, and black dress shoes with low heels, and her chambermaids for most likely have her head if she messed it up. She went about the halls, looking for Kristoff, who she had convinced into being her escort. She couldn't wait to see how he cleaned up, since she felt bad for how hard he was transitioning to regal life.

She walked slowly past a few rooms, listening for his voice (or his cries for help), but heard a deeper voice instead. It belonged to Emil. She could recognize his thick accent. She peeked through a crack in the door where the source of his voice was coming from, then found Emil in uniform, surrounded by five other of the Northern Isles' guards. He wore his common stiff face and there was a driven glint in his amber eyes.

"Tonight's the night, gentlemen. Be on high alert for travelling eyes, then when the clock strikes nine, you know what to do." Emil said, hands behind his back. He held up a crossbow and slipped an arrow in. "He won't know what hit him."

"Doesn't this count as treason?" one guard asked. "Won't we be imprisoned for this?"

"Not if we are discreet, and make sure we pass it off as an accident," another guard answered, "we're doing the Northern Isles a favor. Princess Yvonne is almost of age, and she will make a fine ruler when it's time—better than her uncle and father combined."

"She's only sixteen, almost seventeen. Twenty-one is the proper ruling age."

"She has enough knowledge of the politics and trade to rule young," Emil explained. "The Court will see to it that Yvonne takes over the throne. We cannot wait two years for Henrik to wed the Queen of Arendelle, and we cannot wait two years to see his downfall. We must take it upon ourselves to execute him."

Anna's eyes widened. First of all, she had _no idea_ that Henrik and Elsa were to be married in two years, and that Henrik's people were plotting against his rule. Wasn't Emil his best friend? Why would he do something like this? Something was going to go down tonight, and she had to make sure of it that Elsa knew, or at least someone.

She turned her back on the door, ready to run off, but a hand grabbed her wrist, yanking her into the room. She cried out in struggles as the guards took her into their custody, heaving her into a chair and holding her down. Emil tied her to the chair, anger visible through his eyes now, his jaw tightened.

"Let go of me!" she screamed, kicking up her legs.

"Princess, I am sorry to do this, but you cannot stop us from going through with our plan." Emil said softly. He took a sheet of cloth and passed it on her mouth, fastening it behind her head. She struggled and tried to throw up her hands, but the ropes got the best of her. She screamed more, but it came out muted, going into the cloth rather than the volume of the room. "You, make sure she's secure. You can let her out after nine." he commanded at a guard. It was the one who feared he would be punished to prison.

Emil and the other men excited the room, armed with swords and crossbows, but Emil held up an arquebus. As the door closed and locked, Anna screamed more in protest, hoping for someone to hear her.

**.:.^*^.:.**

"Have you seen my sister?" Elsa asked around, terribly worried about Anna's disappearance. She was widely nervous about greeting her subjects alone, without the company and support of her sister. The buzz of conversation and blaring music coming from the ballroom only made the feeling worse, but luckily, light blue gloves gave her comfort. She knew she would have to take them off eventually, but right now, she needed them more than ever.

People shook their heads and went off in different courses. She was left to panic in the foyer.

"Elsa?"

At the call of her name, she looked at the stairwell, where Henrik was coming down, looking amazing in his suit. She just remembered that she asked him to be her escort into the ballroom. She sighed, glad to see him, but still remaining concerned about her sister.

"You look... _gorgeous._" he said, giving her his glove-covered hand. She took it and looked down at her dress, taking it in. It was dark blue, off-the-shoulders with long translucent sleeves, and at least three sets of draping skirts. It sparkled in the light of the room, and a heavy light blue cloak rested on her back. Her hair had a thin crown braid going around her head, her blonde bangs still on her forehead, and a long braid going down her back. Her tiara, tucked behind the crown braid, didn't make her feel awkward, since Henrik wore his golden crown on top of his head.

"Thank you, Henrik." she said. She averted her eyes to the side, and then to the ceiling.

"What's wrong?" Henrik questioned, holding her hand.

"I can't find Anna. Did you see her?"

He shook his head. "Should we go look for her?"

"Yes, please."

The two turned to go up the stairs, but then, the ballroom doors opened, pouring light on them.

"Presenting, Her Majesty, Queen Elsa of Arendelle, accompanied by His Majesty, King Henrik of the Northern Isles." Kai announced. They turned back around quickly and Henrik looped his arm with Elsa's, leading her into the ballroom slowly. They shared a confounded look as the crowd applauded, cheering. Most of them thought they were together, anyway.

Henrik led Elsa to the front of the room, where she had to speak. She swallowed the lump in her throat, gathering up her courage in trade for her worry.

"Let the First-Annual Winter Ball begin." she declared. The music started up again and she stood beside Henrik, not feeling sociable at the moment.

Where had Anna gone, and why did she choose to abandon her when she needed her the most?

* * *

**_Kisses! ~TwistedTelepath_**


	19. Masquerade

**A/N: JesusFreak777—Henrik is pronounced (in this story) HEN-reek. Wait, did I answer that question already?**

**pianoluver101—Welcome to the story! Umm, from the looks of it (pay attention to my profile, it's crapped up) maybe around 27 chapters? I have things planned. My mind works really weird.**

**HMZ—Well, nobody's called me versatile on here yet, but my boyfriend does a lot. I was secretly waiting for someone to say it here :3 So many plot twists, I know! I think I might faint! (Haha, nah)**

**I think the main thing driving this story is romance and the elements of family and friendship. The little things I throw here and there are meant to make the characters (both Canon and OC) closer in relationships (Henrik and Elsa, Kristoff and Anna, and the friendship between Olaf and Yvonne) or at least that what I'm trying to deliver. Henrik will be essential in the next round of chapters, and I might brew up something for Kristanna, since I have a few ideas at mind. I personally think Christmas in Arendelle is a romance novel more than an action and suspense. Loved these questions!**

**All Readers: Guys, I put out a new fic called "Mama's Little Snowflake," if you guys are interested. It's about how Elsa struggles with being an adoptive mother to an orphaned girl. That's gonna have a few plot twists, too.**

**Disclaimer: Frozen belongs all to Disney, I just had an idea and formed into a story.**

* * *

_Chapter 19: Masquerade_

Kristoff remained by the ballroom's doors, feeling conflicted. One minute, he's hurrying back to Arendelle with Anna, and she asks him if he wanted to her escort to the ball, and the next, she leaves him out to dry. Of course he'd say yes, it was an honor. But now, wondering where Anna could be, he had no choice but to wait. The more he waited, the more he felt stuffy the congested room with so many people.

He had never felt so trapped, since he barely talked to people. He only felt comfortable around very few, two or three, not most of the kingdom in a room where lights from chandeliers weighed down on his skin and the music sounded like it was getting louder and louder. And what made it worse was that he had on a waistcoat that felt like it was sucking the life out of him, shoes that made him walk funny, and a smile that faltered when someone looked at him.

"Kristoff," someone called.

He hoped it was Anna, but instead, he saw Henrik beckoning him over towards him. He stood by one of the tables, snacking on what looked like krumkake. He went up to him, still scanning the ballroom for signs of Anna, but found none.

"Have you seen Anna?" he asked the king.

Henrik shook his head. He swallowed whatever that was in his mouth. "Elsa and I have been looking out for her, since by the looks of it, the guards won't let us out of the ballroom unattended. I'm sure she's putting together last-minute preparations, you know how girls are. Yvonne usually spends hours tucked away in her room before a ball."

The opening of the doors obstructed the communication in the ballroom, and it was like the young princess planned to enter on mention of her name. Her beautiful chocolate hair was in the form of lush, soft waves, topped with a silver tiara styled with pearls and diamonds. Her dress, which was without a doubt ostentatious and meant to grab attention, had long scarlet sleeves matched with silver lining, and the skirt had a mass of silver decals, shimmering under the chandelier light. Her lips bore red lipstick, and they opened to show a charismatic smile.

"Lady Yvonne of the Northern Isles," Kai announced. The crowd curtseyed and bowed as Yvonne proceeded forth, making her way to her uncle and Kristoff. Once all eyes were off of her, she breathed with relief and picked out two chocolates to nibble on.

"You look beautiful," Henrik told her sincerely. He paused, scanning her glamorous outfit again. "Isn't that... your mother's?" Yvonne nodded while putting the chocolate in her mouth. Kristoff noted that for the sake of the large ballroom full of people, she showed no emotion towards acknowledgment of her mother.

In the bleakness of the silence, Kristoff asked, "Yvonne, have you seen Anna?"

She swallowed her mouthful of chocolate to reply. "I heard she was in her room, getting ready, but I know that isn't true, since she was ready to go thirty minutes ago. I tried looking for her, but Emil rushed me down here."

"Something doesn't seem right."

"I know right? We need bigger chocolate!" Yvonne remarked, putting her hand in the bowl of chocolate again.

"Not the chocolate, dear, the scenario." notified Henrik, wearing a crooked smile. Realization spread across his niece's face as she nodded, biting into her third piece of dessert.

"Do you think they'll let me out?" Kristoff asked Henrik.

"No," he said earnestly. "Unless I sneak you out. See the doors back there?" He gesticulated to the front of the room, where two guards stood in guard of the double doors. "I try my best to persuade them, and you flit off as soon as you can to get your girl."

"Thank you."

Henrik nodded with a knowing smile, his eyebrows switching up and down. Kristoff's face fluctuated red as the king went off to go forth with the plan. Yvonne winked at him and went off to interact amongst the people. Kristoff watched Henrik work his magic, talking animatedly, making wild hand gestures with a spark in his emerald eyes. Soon, both guards gave in to him and joined the people. Henrik opened one door slyly with his shoulder, his arms crossed, then he strode away, pretending it was by accident. Kristoff smiled gratefully at him and flooded out the room, peeling off his jacket and waistcoat in the process, feeling free to run.

**.:.^*^.:.**

Anna didn't feel like struggling anymore. It was hopeless with the guard monitoring her and the ropes ties too tight for her average strength. But the look on the guard's face said scared and wary, and he loosely held his sword. His frantic eyes observed Anna with a quick glance, then back at the door. Anna suddenly whipped up a plan.

"You don't really want to do this, do you?" she asked him through the cloth.

"I have to. Emil promised..." He stopped talking, clenching his jaw shut.

"Promised...?" Anna waited for his response.

The guard sighed. "He promised I would get to see my son again if I helped out. Emil is captain of the guard. He controls my work hours. He assigned me for an all-season run for the trip here, leaving my wife and son behind. I wanted to out my foot down, but we need the money. Christian is only four, and we need to educate him somehow."

A surge of sadness rang through Anna. "Aw..."

"Your Highness, believe me when I say I do not want to do this. I-I just want the best for my son." Anna tried to remember his name. "Finn." he reminded her.

"I can supply the money you need if you let me go." Anna persuaded. Finn paused, trying to intervene with himself, perhaps. "Please. I have family, too. My sister, she cares about the king. If he were to die, imagine how she would feel. Plus... she _kinda_ has ice powers that tie to her emotions. Arendelle doesn't need eternal winter when there's _already_ winter."

Finn stood up straight. "Very well, Princess." He cut the ropes with his sword, instructing her to stay calm and still. Once the ropes were off, he removed the cloth from her mouth.

The door opened and in came Kristoff, looking vigilant but heroic. He saw Anna and embraced her quickly, his strong arms almost squeezing her to death, though she liked the closeness.

"I have been looking everywhere for you!" he shouted. He held her by her shoulders, then looked at Finn. "Who's he?"

"Finn. He's going to help us save Henrik." Anna told him. She explained what she had learned and what Emil's true intentions were. She expressed that they has until nine to get Henrik out of the ballroom and into a safer place. The clock read forty-five after eight.

Fifteen minutes.

"We need to go! _Now_." Finn said. He led the way out the room. Kristoff clutched Anna's hand as they followed. Northern Isles guards plagued the hall. Finn stuck out his sword in defense.

"We can't _kill_ anybody!" Anna complained, seeing the warlike pose Finn had.

"I think it's an us-or-them moment," said Kristoff. He didn't have a weapon, not that his fists counted. He was sure built to take on any of them.

Anna tries to think fast, but nothing came to mind. She was the only one in the hall with no fighting experience—or at least she thought Kristoff had fighting experience—and no weap–

"Oh my gosh! Henrik?" someone yelled.

Olaf.

All the guards turned around, fooled. Anna took Kristoff and Finn's hands, dragging them down the other hall, mouthing a "thank you" to the wandering snowman. They would be stalled, yes, but they had at least fourteen minutes to figure out the way from the east end of the castle to the main floor ballroom.

**.:.^*^.:.**

Henrik told Elsa that he sent Kristoff to go retrieve Anna. This eased the queen's flustered thought a little. Minutes had passed by since then, and Elsa had just finished her conversation with Yvonne when Henrik stepped in front of her. A new tune of music started to play. He took her glove-covered hand slowly and set his lips on the fabric. He withdrew his kiss with a smirk.

"May I have this dance, Your Majesty?" he asked smoothly.

"I don't dance," she answered shyly.

"I don't either, but I thought it'd look good if we did. Don't worry, I'll go slow."

She nodded, smiling. He led her to the center of the ballroom. He placed a hand on her waist. She brushed off the flurries in her stomach and adjusted her hand to his shoulder. When their free hands connected, their fingers intertwined. Henrik started the dance by sliding to right. Elsa followed in his steady steps, since they were easy to copy.

"You think we look funny?" Henrik asked, musing a smile.

"Comical."

Henrik took the time to spin her around. She almost fell, but he caught her in time, covering the incident up as if he were dipping her. She grinned thankfully.

"Thanks to you and Yvonne, I was up in my room for half of the day, downing eggnog and playing with my new ice sword like a drunken little boy."

Elsa shrugged. She would have provided new paints for him, but he had all he could need already. The ice sword was a last resort, and even though she felt she didn't put much effort into the gift, Henrik seemed to adore it.

"You definitely needed that nap, then." she said, eyes up in he chandelier. He laughed, enough to draw some attention. She realized they were now the only ones on the ballroom floor. The wondering crowd made Elsa shift a little.

"Should we stop dancing?" she asked next.

"Why? They love it."

She rolled her eyes. The song was coming to an end anyway. By the last strum of the violins, Henrik subdued her, hoisting her up high, spinning, then dipping her once more, his face so close to hers. His crown didn't fall, but his blonde locks hung in front of his eyes. The crowd applauded.

Their breathing balanced out once Henrik held Elsa back up.

"For someone who doesn't dance," Elsa breathed, "you sure do _dance_."

Henrik shrugged. "I don't know if you noticed, but I was constantly slipping on the floor. I'm a stander, not a dancer." Elsa stifled a laugh.

"Elsa!"

At her name, she turned to see Anna, tailgated by Kristoff, Olaf, and a guard of the Northern Isles. Elsa hurried to her.

"What is it?" she asked, sensing something wrong.

"Henrik watch out!" Olaf shouted, pointing.

Henrik, on the other side of the room, looked puzzled. Elsa gasped as an arrow whizzed near him from the crowd. A guard stepped out armed with a crossbow. He gave Elsa a deep-set, concerned look, then dashed off, just as more arrows flew by. A fleet of guards chased after him. Guests in the ballroom fizzed with panic.

Although stunned, Elsa went after him.

* * *

**_Kisses! ~TwistedTelepath_**


	20. Against All Odds

**Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen, for obvious reasons.**

* * *

_Chapter 20: Against All Odds_

Henrik's breath was running low from pacing quickly through the castle. In the eerie twilight, he could barely make out the shape of anything. It seemed like a maze when he was under pressure, as well. Like he was going hopelessly around in the same direction. His heart seemed like it was running, too, pounding and throbbing against his chest. He clenched his fists so tightly that they were white and sweaty and his whole ensemble was damp with sweat. So much for looking dapper.

He deserted the heavy, golden crown a long time ago, in addition to the shoulder clasps that were holding him down from sprinting away. This way, he was free to run as fast as he chose, or at least until his heart gave way.

He needed to configure how this happened. How people he knew and loved for many years had turned against him. How they were out to kill him. How he was trying his best to run from them. He didn't think it would come to this. He knew he had his critics, those who thought ignoble of him, out of skin him alive, panning everything he did as monarch, but he didn't think the bounds could stretch so far.

He trusted Emil. His brother trusted Emil. He was a longtime family friend. He even babysat Yvonne as a child whenever the staff ran low. How could he be capable of such wickedness?

When he turned the corner, another arrow impacted the wall as he sped past with a whizzing hiss. His eyes went wide when he saw another swarm of guards coming from the next hall. He would be dead if it weren't for an icy breeze.

He chose to run down the previous hall, to then turn and run down the stairs, but the floor on the other side had ice travelling in thick veins along the floor. Every guard's feet were frozen stiff in it, and Elsa stood at the end of the hall, her hand going down. He couldn't help but feel a fondness for the queen, a goofy smirk creeping on his face.

His snapped out of his lovey-dovey state when he heard a clatter.

He looked to the ground and saw the sword made of ice Elsa gifted him. He ran to obtain it and the two of them were back to back. The guards came in the next hall, and Henrik engaged in combat with them, since this group had swords as well. He didn't kill any of them, just cause minor injuries in the arms and legs, since he didn't want to stoop as low as them.

While whipping the sword against another, he tilted his head back to see if Elsa was still there. She was, thank goodness. She shook her head and held him back by the shoulder. She held her hands to her mouth, them blew coldness through the other end of the hall. The ice did the same as it did for the other set of guards, making a crackling noise. She held Henrik hand and they rushed down the stairs, hoping to evade them.

"Did you know this would happen?" Elsa asked, her voice slightly raised as she struggled to run in her ball gown.

"No, I was hoping to get killed two years from now!" answered Henrik, feeling half-sarcastic. Part of what he said was true. He knew if he didn't marry Elsa in two years, he'd be a dead man. He prepared to die then, not _now_.

When they reached bottom flight of stairs, they saw that the Arendellian guards had evacuated the ballroom, so it was dark and mute. The chandeliers had no beacons of light amplifying the ballroom's space. Every dessert and appetizer was out of sight, and Henrik wouldn't be surprised if the people theft them of the way out.

However, two guards in gray uniforms noticed the two royals, and by the way they came charging that them with sharpened, silver spears gave Henrik the impression that they weren't friendly, or Arendellian.

"I hope you know that this going to reflect of your pay!" Henrik kicked a guard in the gut as he said this, making him stumble back, but come with full-force for the second round. He closed his eyes as he struck the man. He heard a thump. He didn't look for where he hit him; he didn't care.

Elsa managed to suppress the another guard, having him pressed against the wall with a wall of ice preventing him from going anywhere.

"They won't stop," she said, taking down her hair from its updo. The perfect platinum blonde waves came falling down. "We need to find a way to get Emil, since Anna told me he's the one with the arquebus. He can kill you with one shot. We have to restrain him."

Henrik nodded and turned to exit, coming in contact with a sword against his neck. It wasn't piercing any flesh yet. The man who held it looked wrapped up in pure rage. Elsa acted fast, casting a blow of wind his way, only to have guards hold her.

They were already doomed...

Then a miracle came jumping down from the stairwell.

Yvonne had a crossbow in her hands and shot the guard who had her uncle subdued in the leg. She shot him again in the other leg. The band of guards was too distracted by their valiant princess to catch the king and queen. Yvonne just kept shooting them. When she ran out of ammo, she used her fists. Henrik started in awe, watching her take them out, one by one, carefully and skillfully. Her small fists connected with some of their faces, making them topple down. She even pinpointed their weak spots, making them fall numb on the ground. Once there was not one man left standing—besides him—he clapped.

"That's my girl!" he said, smiling.

Yvonne smirked. Elsa remained stunned. "Uncle Henrik teaches me battle-strategy in secret." she told her in a hushed tone.

"Wow..." was all the queen had to say.

"Emil had me tied up in my bedroom. He's lurking the last floor, armed with his arquebus. I can't know for sure where he's to stop, so I don't know how we can take him on like this... but I do have an idea."

**.:.^*^.:.**

Anna swung the piece of broken chair in her hands to the back of her, successfully knocking out another guard. She broke a sweat, sighing, then observed the little battle scene they were having in the courtyard. Of course she bothered to out a cloak on, because there was no way she was going to die out here before she managed to kick butt.

Arendelle's guard was going up against the Northern Isles' guard, and there was a _slight_ chance that this would be the biggest controversy to hit the kingdoms since the Big Freeze. Luckily, Arendelle was winning. Well, because of their skilled combat and Sven kicking anyone from behind who bothered him.

"Behind you!" Kristoff said, acting fast. She ducked and he punched the guard who was going to strike her in the face. He helped her up.

Anna heard the castle doors creak open and turned behind her. Elsa lured her and Kristoff inside, slamming the doors shut. The foyer occupied her sister, Henrik, Yvonne, and Olaf, who she figured had been running up and down the castle cluelessly.

"I think this is everyone we need," Yvonne said, a dagger in her hand.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Anna's eyes tried to compute the knife and Yvonne. "Since when do you know how to use a dagger?"

"Since when do you know how to knock people out?" she countered with a suspicious face.

"... Touché."

"Okay. Here's the plan," Yvonne bent down to a map of the palace, drawing her dagger to it. "There will be guards here and here," She circled two spots of the top floor with her finger, "Elsa and Anna will be at this angle," She pointed to the right side, "Henrik and Kristoff will be at this angle." She directed at the left.

"Since there's no middle entrance, no guards will suspect any activity. That's when Olaf and I use the previous floor's entrance to the library to come up to the last floor, through door where Emil will be standing by, I presume. If my plan's executed well, he'll tell the other guards not to shoot, since I will pose as defenseless and scared. The four of you will advance, and when Emil off-guard by this ambush, I, sadly, have to strike him in his weak spot—his chest."

"You said he's armed," Henrik spoke, "what if he hurts you before you strike him?"

"I rather take the bullet then have you do it."

"Yvonne, I have to disagree." He came towards her. "I'll be the one to do it. I promised to protect you, and if I have to die, you need to take on the throne."

"That's what got us into this mess in the first place—me taking the throne!" she objected. "They're so caught up in thinking that a female heir will benefit the country to realize that I'm not ready! I'm no match to rule a kingdom."

Henrik enveloped her in his arms, stroking her hair. "I love you, sweetheart."

"I love you, t–" He brought her over blindly to Elsa, who knocked her out, using wind's persuasion to make her sleep. She collapsed, the knife in her hand dropping.

"New plan," Henrik said. "It's the same as the old plan, but with a twist. I'll be the one to take out Emil. Olaf, you'll be the one to take my place–"

"As King of the Northern Isles?" he gasped, jumping.

"... In Yvonne's plan... There's no way that you're taking my place as king..."

"Aw... But can I still wear a crown?" Henrik rolled his eyes, taking the crown from the floor and placing it on his head. He squeaked with delight. "I am Lord Olaf of the Snowlands! Long live me!"

Anna harmonized in laughter with the others as they prepared to go forth in the plan.

**.:.^*^.:.**

Elsa felt apprehensive about the plan. She chose not to show it, but it was hard considering that her fear of losing anybody tonight was getting ready to consume her and smother the castle in snow and ice. Anna held her hand, flinching at the temperature. She put a troubled smile of gratitude for her sister. Anna nodded as if she was talking to her, allaying her through this as her eyes picked out the figures in the darkness. Three guards stood in front of them. They crouched down low so that the three on the other side couldn't make them out.

The door opened higher up in the hall. Elsa's eyes crunched shut, trying not to imagine Henrik there. She just encircled the guards on her side in ice. She and Anna stepped forward, past them, and saw that Olaf was doing a good job at abstracting the guards while Kristoff handled them from behind.

The only thing that twitched in her mind was that Emil and Henrik were now gone.

She looked around, desperate for a sign of Henrik... but instead heard a shattering gunshot go off in the library. She rushed in and gasped, trying as hard as she could to restrain her emotions and herself, but she gave up. She slashed her hands Emil, spikes of ice raised all around him, pointed at his neck.

She hashed for a fallen Henrik, shot in the shoulder. Blood started to pool from his wound to the floor. His eyes were not seen, closed shut, his breathing not its best, but still there. He hit his head hard, most likely from the fall. She cried for him, knowing he wasn't dead, but might as well have been. She held him close to her chest, cradling his unconscious self in her arms, feeling his heartbeat next to her own, the room caving in slick ice. Snow flurries fell from midair, and the rest of her entourage watched as she wept.

* * *

_**Kisses! ~TwistedTelepath**_


	21. Bedridden

**A/N: I never intended any cursing in this story, but since Yvonne's in pure rage in this chapter she had to let some loose.**

**Pretty boring this chapter, but hopefully things will pick up soon.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen... boo.**

* * *

_Chapter 21: Bedridden_

Handmaidens had to pry Henrik from Elsa's arms. They put him in the hands of the castle doctors, where they managed to successfully remove the bullet in his shoulder. His airway was clean despite how he was unconscious. His breathing sustained with composure once in treatment, out of the cold air. However, he lost an increasing amount of blood, from both the bullet wound and the head wound, so in order to balance out his circulation, physicians suggested Yvonne transfuse her blood with his to keep him on track.

He was bedridden for four weeks, meaning he wouldn't return home until the end of January, a handful of days after Yvonne's seventeenth birthday.

Yvonne visited him for eight days straight. She baked him cookies, brought him breakfast, fed him even when she didn't have to, made up his bed, and helped him walk, since he sprained his ankle from running and tripping over the stairs coming up to the library. She treated him like a baby, and when he wasn't there, she cried.

She cried over how she almost lost him. She wept for his bad condition. She stayed in his room almost half the day, not bothering to go outside.

Then, she took matters into her own hands.

"Lady Yvonne, we cannot allow you to go down there by yourself," Bjarne, captain of the Arendelle guard, told Yvonne as she went slowly down the ragged, steep steps leading to the castle dungeons. "He is far too dangerous, even when restrained."

"He tried to kill my uncle," Yvonne said sharply. "I want to see if he has the nerve to answer my questions after what he attempted to do."

She stopped by the large, thick, wooden door. She gesticulated to the key hole. Bjarne put up a small fuss, but she convinced him. He unlocked the door, mumbling.

Yvonne pushed open the door and saw Emil sitting on the floor, chained up in sturdy metal cuffs, both on his wrists and ankles. His hair was askew. His brown eyes were lifeless and had faint dark circles underneath them. His mouth was in the form of a straight light, and he obviously wasn't allowed to shave while in custody.

Yvonne shot a hateful glare at him, crossing her arms firmly. "Leave us alone." she said in a dark voice.

"I'm afraid I can–"

"Then simply guard the door, please!" She found herself shouting, but she swiftly apologized, since Bjarne wasn't whom she was angry with. The guard accepted her orders, shutting the door and standing guard outside.

"Damned bastard," she spat.

Emil smirked. "How unladylike of you. First fighting, now swearing? You might as well spit on the ground. Wouldn't your father be so proud."

"_You_ have the _nerve_ to talk about my father after the stunts you pulled merely a _week_ ago?" she screamed, flexing her finger at him. She noticed her raging tone of voice and decided to cool it down a notch. "Have you not any goodwill at _all_?"

"Your uncle is a fool. He is not suitable to handle the throne. Five years ago he was simply a lazy, unreliable prince who could care less about his country, and now you expect me to praise him as my all-powerful king? How quaint." He looked down at the gray, cracked ground beneath him. "The men dominating our kingdom are fools, Yvonne. Making the wrong choices. The women, however, are the opposite. Collective, eloquent, graceful, and defined. They have the power necessary to rule the Northern Isles. A queen regnant is what our kingdom needs."

"It was you who started the fire, wasn't it?" Yvonne asked, setting aside his foolishness. She was piecing everything together now. Emil had always been overprotective of her. If he was so close to both her father and Henrik, no one would suspect him of killing them at first. He had access to the castle and the rooms.

"And I'm not sorry." he sneered, his smirk forming into a disgusting full-fledged grin.

"You scarred me for _life_... _literally _and_ mentally_!" she shouted, pointing at her face. "Wait and see what becomes of your little clan in the Northern Isles. I will personally hunt down all your cult members and imprison them for life, or maybe even execute them!" She sounded hysterical, her voice going from calm to raised and her eyes wide. Maybe she was going crazy again.

"You won't find out who they are." he teased.

"But I _do_ have an idea," she vied. "And I will leave you in here to _rot_. It'll give you time to rethink and reform yourself after the crimes you've posed against your nation."

"I guess my funeral will be held here."

Yvonne groaned angrily and then turned back, opening the door. She slammed it with such a force that it rattled chains inside. Bjarne chaperoned her back up the stairs.

**.:.^*^.:.**

"Why didn't the doctors let us see him?" Anna asked, fidgeting.

Elsa didn't know how to respond to her question. She was angry herself. At Emil, at Henrik's guards, at her own guards, and at the doctors for all different reasons. Emil and the other guards attacked Henrik. Her own guards prevented her from seeing him for eight days straight. And the doctors wouldn't let anyone in his room unless they were immediate family—meaning Yvonne.

"I guess he was so fragile," said Elsa quietly, almost mumbling it. She gripped the flowers, arranged in marigolds, white roses, and magnolias in her hands. The walk down the hall felt like it was taking an eternity.

"Are you okay?'

Elsa quickly nodded. "Yeah... He– He didn't deserve this. He was– He _is _sweet, loving, sensitive, charismatic... funny... heartfelt..." She looked skyward to keep her tears concealed, then looked back down at the flowers. "On the outside, he's so formal and sophisticated, but on the inside, he's just a little kid."

By the time they reached the door, Finn, the one guard who didn't turn his back on Henrik, opened the door and let them into the room. Elsa advanced first, collecting herself as she stared at Henrik. His right shoulder and chest had bandages, she could tell since the wrapping poked out of his blouse. He wore a lazy smile when he noticed Elsa. She smiled in return, approaching his bed and shrewdly sat by his covered legs, placing the flowers on his bedside table. The door closed from behind and Anna was beside her sister.

"You came," he said. Elsa barely perceived his voice, it was barely a whisper. "And you brought flowers."

"And chocolate cake," Anna mused, holding up the tin. Henrik chuckled. "How are you feeling?"

"Better than before. I think I can walk by myself now... Well, I could _always_ walk by myself, but Yvonne insists on helping me everywhere... _even the bathroom_."

"How is she taking all of this?" Elsa finally asked.

"She's strong. But I think she's been slipping a little. I can see it in her eyes. She fighting this darkness that she feels, but keeping in her anger isn't healthy for her. I'm just worried about her, that's all."

Elsa reached for his hand, holding it gently. "She's your niece. She'll be fine. Stress is the least thing you need right now."

Henrik smiled. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Protecting me the best you could. And to you, Anna, for finding out about this ahead of time and warning me." he said, eyeing the redhead.

She smiled. "I think I'll leave you guys alone..." Anna stood up, winking, then left the room.

Elsa felt her heart subside once Henrik touched her wrist. His eyes captivated her, making her feel impotent in his presence, even though he was the disable one. She dashed her hand by the silky, sky blue curtains, forcing them shut. The room dimmed, and Henrik's eyebrows twitched.

"What are you doing?" he pondered.

Elsa silenced him, drawing close to him. Her cold lips came in contact with his heated ones, and a spark arose between the two. Henrik's left hand cradled Elsa's head, fingers buried in her hair. The sweet kiss grew more and more passionate as Elsa leaned on the good side of his chest, holding his chin. By the time they finished their endearment, sunshine flowed in the room, the curtains swishing back open.

"Wow. We're not stuck this time." he breathed, his filled with wonder.

Elsa shrugged innocently, intertwining her fingers with his. "There was so much fear dwelling inside me when I thought I would lose you. I care about you dearly, Henrik, and I want you to know that."

Henrik smiled. "Oh, Elsa. You'll _never_ know how much I care about you." His cheeks flooded with red.

* * *

**_Kisses! ~TwistedTelepath_**


	22. Yvonne Goes Dark

**Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen, so sorry! :(**

* * *

_Chapter 22: Yvonne Goes Dark_

Yvonne approached Kristoff in the stables. At first, he didn't know what to say. He hadn't seen her in eight days, since the frenzy with the guards and the shooting. She had shut out everybody except Henrik—he was the one she cared about the most. She was devout to him, and why wouldn't she be? He was the only connection she had close to her parents. Someone had tried to secede that from her. Someone she loved and trusted since birth. All the emotions in her could be eating her up inside, and Kristoff wouldn't know on account of how good a pleasant face she had on this morning. You couldn't depict what sequestered rage she held behind her gray, stormy eyes.

"Hey," he said as gentle as he could, trying to look benevolent for her. "How are you feeling?"

Yvonne's lips started to move, but no sound came out. Her eyes stared at her boots, looking unusually wide. Shadows casted underneath them, showing a lack of rest in her. She brought up her arms to wrap them around herself. "I'm fine..." she managed to say. "He's fine, if you want to know. Doing better." She cracked a laugh, loud enough to make the horses in the stables startled. Sven was too occupied with his carrot to focus.

"The both of them are so nice together. They compliment each other." she jabbered. Kristoff didn't feel like she was entirely looking at her, maybe looking past him. "How are you and Anna?" she asked in her normal tone.

Kristoff rubbed the back of his neck. Ever since the ambush, he felt like he lacked protection over her. The guards wouldn't have captured her if he was by her side. What kind of escort was he then? He should have waited for her nearby, making sure she reached the ballroom securely. He couldn't help feel this pang of guilt and disappointment in himself. Sometimes he questioned both his authority and his place with Anna.

"It's okay," Yvonne said suddenly, "if you don't want to talk about it. I'll respect that." She came closer to him, and Kristoff didn't know whether to feel panic-striken by her or not. Her pigment was paler than usual, her face slimmer, her figure svelte, but bones visible. Her new appearance was disturbing him. "May I ask you something?"

"Sure, but why are you so quiet? We're the only ones here."

"They might be listening. You can't trust anyone anymore." she whispered. She brought him down to her level, embodying her request. "Are you angry at Emil?"

"More than anything." answered Kristoff, still unsure of her motive.

"Do you want him to suffer for what he did to Anna?"

"Well–"

"It's a valid request, my mountain friend. Emil Petrov must suffer for all he has done. He has to squirm. He must feel all the pain he has given us, and it needs to destroy him. Make him lose it. Then, when the time is right, he needs to die." Now Kristoff was sure he was deeply disturbed by Yvonne's new behavior. It was like the sweet, innocent girl who first came to Arendelle was long dead, and this new girl took her place. "I've had dreams lately... I dreamt I was in a cabin, in the woods... and he was laying on the wooden flanks, his blood staining them from brown to red. The knife went deep. I had his blood on my hands, and you know what I did with it?" He paused, frightened at what she might have said next. "I licked it. I licked it all up, like I was an animal or something. I killed him, Kristoff. Emil Petrov died at my hand, and I was so proud of myself. But I didn't bury him back in Bulgaria, his home country, I buried him in the woods, so that the little woodland creatures could finish him off."

Kristoff tore away from Yvonne, trying to extinguish the gory and explicit details from his mind. He looked at her. There was no doubt that fear shown in his eyes. "I-I'll see you later, Yvonne..." He hurried away from her.

He knew that something was wrong with Yvonne.

**.:.^*^.:.**

Sadness coursed through Henrik as Elsa left his room. Only a day had passed, but their relationship had more than that. They connected during their time together. They talked, they laughed, they joked. Nor his unable figure or his accident fazed him while with the queen. Everything revolved around her. Every aspect of her dazzled him, and nothing took away from that. The doctors could prescribe him with all they wanted, but she was his true form of medicine. She was his remedy, healing him as the days went by. He hadn't felt such happiness in at least five years. She always soothed him with her presence. Calmed him with her voice. Comforted him with her–

"Your Majesty?"

Henrik carefully sat up in bed and saw Finn holding the door's handle. "Yes, Finn?" he asked, snapping out of his euphoria-enhanced thoughts, putting on his professional tone.

"Mister, uh, Bjorgman is here to see you." Through the crack in the door, Henrik could barely see a taller figure behind Finn. "He said it was urgent and concerned Lady Yvonne."

Henrik nodded. "Don't be so stiff, Finn. Relax." he instructed with a smile. "Send him in."

The door opened wide and Kristoff came into the room. He gave Henrik a faint smile, then sat in the chair next to his bed. Finn closed the door to allow privacy.

"What's this about Yvonne?" Henrik questioned, his eyebrow raised skeptically. She couldn't have possibly hurt herself, or else the everyone would be on their way to tell him. Maybe she was on her way to see him again? It was almost time for lunch, after all.

"She seems... different," He spoke 'different' like it was a curse. "A little off. Maybe she's not feeling well? Maybe she needs more sleep?"

"Let me tell you something," the king said, making Kristoff lean closer. "Yvonne's emotions are very..." He searched for the right word. "... fragile. She's been through a lot for her age, and all of it can be fairly traumatic for her. There was a time after her parents died when she simply cracked," As he said this, he snapped his fingers. "We tried to help her resolve what inner demons she possessed inside herself, giving her our full attention, making sure she was sleeping right, running through physical activities with her, but this phase went away on its own. Sometimes it comes back without the need of a tormenting incident, but it fades away in time."

"You're telling me that Yvonne has mental problems?" Kristoff asked.

"You can put it like that," Henrik shrugged. "Just don't try to get in her way with this. As long as she isn't doing anything to harm herself or others, she's fine. Sometimes I just think it's a theatrical act. She loves drama."

Henrik saw the lad bite his lip, but nod. He could tell something was on his mind, but he couldn't perceive what. Maybe he was still recovering from the fact that his sweetheart was held captive? He sure hoped that he wasn't beating himself up about it or anything.

"Okay. I'll take your word for it. I'll see you later." Kristoff left just like that.

Seriousness fractured Henrik's flippant mode as he called Finn into his room, apologizing for the intrusion. The man bowed and came to his side like a loyal dog.

"I want you to request that Yvonne has supervision everyday, all hours. Explain what happened last time and the possible events that can follow this time." Henrik said in a low voice.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"And make sure Captain Petrov's fate is decided before the princess takes it into her own hands, please? He might be a citizen of my kingdom, but his crimes reflected on minor destruction of the Arendelle palace and had a traumatic outcome on the guests at the ball. I will leave his punishment in the hands of this Royal Court."

"Right away, sir."

**.:.^*^.:.**

Olaf would've skipped up the stairs without any harm done if Yvonne hadn't crashed into him on her way down. He tumbled down each step he went him, rolling down, then stopping smack into the wall, the painting quaking, almost landing on him. He shook himself off and came up, wondering what Yvonne was so frantic about.

"I was just looking for you!" she exclaimed with a smile, coming towards him, holding out her hands.

He took him, looking at her strangely. "Why do you look like a zombie? You're out of luck, I don't have any brains." He chortled at his joke, then snapped into focus. "Wait, is that bad or good?"

It was unusual for Yvonne not to laugh at his jokes, which made their encounter even more suspicious. "I need your help with something..."

"Which is...?"

"We need to interrogate Emil." she said, as if it was obvious.

* * *

**_Kisses! ~TwistedTelepath_**


	23. Protection and Protocol

**A/N: I _may _not update tomorrow, due to my wacky lineup of events, but then again, I might. It's not really up to me. :(**

**Disclaimer: Frozen is not mine, nor will ever be mine, it's all Disney's... curse those moguls...**

* * *

_Chapter 23: Protection and Protocol_

Anna sighed irritably, retraining Kristoff's hand within her own. She wanted him to stop being so tense. He was so fixed on how the then-Northern Isles guards managed to withhold her. They caught her off-guard _once. _Now, he was her self-proclaimed protector. Not that she had a problem with being near him twenty-four-seven, it just seemed estranged. Arendelle's guard had Emil and the guards - both threats to the Northern Isles and Arendelle - locked away in cells, and the Court was probably determining to behead all of the guards, anyway. The Duke of Weselton was hundreds of miles away, Hans - the no-good jerk he was - was back in his own kingdom, facing major consequences, and Elsa tamed her power and they could not harm her. There was no more danger to come to her.

So why was Kristoff being so... weird?

"You know, if mass-murderers invade the castle," said Anna, "you alone can't defend me."

"No, but I can try." Kristoff countered.

"_Trying _is different from _succeeding._" she pointed out, rolling her eyes. "You don't have to feel bad about not being there, Kristoff, nobody knew what was going to take place that night. What if both of us were there? Both of us would probably get captured, then who would come to save us? We would be too late to warn Henrik, he'd be dead, Elsa would have restarted the eternal winter thing, and we would have to repeat our whole redeeming adventure. It isn't as _fantastic _as it sounds."

Kristoff _looked _like he was overlooking the whole thing, but what he _said_ was, "One, Finn would have helped us, knowing his guilty conscience. Two, the fight would have replayed the same, actually. Three, we'd come just in time, then be in the same situation we are in now."

Anna fretted silently, refusing to rally up on him about how unreasonable and stubborn he was being - then realized their roles had reversed. She was always the unreasonable, stubborn one and he was usually the calm, problem-solving one.

_Wow, _she thought. _Dealing with me is hard..._

"What can I do to make you be less protect-y?" she offered, hoping not to sound desperate.

Kristoff said, "You can _let me_ protect you. It can come in handy. Just for a while."

Anna groaned, stomping her foot. "Okay, okay. Ten days and twelve hours. One week and a half. I'll let you be my guardian or whatever you wanna call it, and restore your crushed self-esteem or something. Deal?"

"My self-esteem is _not _crushed... just a little... bruised." Anna flashed a glance over at him. The telltale weakness of his voice was just what she needed to hear (plus it sounded cute). She nudged him a little too harshly, making him grunt, holding his stomach. She smiled wearily, helping him stand tall. "I realized you're a weapon when you don't try to become one."

"Arendelle's most lethal princess." she mused.

**.:.^*^.:.**

Yvonne woke up from her nap, yawning lowly, stretching her arms. She rose from her bed, but didn't bother to make it up. She would need it to look a mess if she wanted her plan to unfold properly. She fixed her attire, straightening her dress and brushing her loose hair, tying it into a quick bun with a ribbon, then grabbing her journal and a quill. She put the quill inside her journal, then grabbed a wax candle from one of the holders in her guest room. She knew stationed guards were outside of her door, ordered there by her uncle, who was "worried for her well-being." She didn't care. She knew the loopholes to his instruction. There weren't any guards watching her window, she knew that.

She locked her bathroom door, then opened her window. There was a convenient snow pile below, stacked high enough to break her fall. She stepped out the window, pulling as she leaned out into the air. Then, she let herself drop, face-up.

As planned, she landed in the snow, her weight not sinking completely in. She bounced up, shaking the flakes from her, then ran to where she was to meet Olaf - by the storage bunker. Through the bunker, there would be a passageway to the main hall, as told to Olaf by Anna, who had spent years wandering the castle. By the time they got to the main hall, Yvonne knew the way they had to take to the dungeons.

By the bunker entrance the little snowman stood, keeping a watchful eye out. He winked slowly when he spotted Yvonne, then he began to pick the lock of the storage bunker with his carrot nose, something Anna, again, told her he skilled in. Once the door unlocked, Olaf ran his detached arm along the wooden frame to light her candle, quickly blowing it out afterward because it hurt him from the sound of it. They travelled in the darkness, often bumping into unseen things, but eventually making it up the steps and into the hall.

Through the hall, they made it down to the cellars with no interruptions, but saw that a guard was standing post by Emil's cell.

"Ugh," Yvonne groaned quietly. "I'll distract him."

"Are you sure it's worth it, Yvonne?" Olaf questioned, looking as innocent as always. Yvonne winced, not realizing what she could be doing to him. Marking his carefree reputation might have a terrible result on him with his friends, but it was too late to find a way around getting Olaf into mischief. All she had to do was pray he didn't. "Quite frankly, I'm not really sure what we're doing..." He narrowed his eyes in confusion.

"Trust me, okay? You won't get into trouble because of me." She'd have to lie if they were to get in trouble, but she had to get this off her chest, seeing what Emil's true intentions were. The idea of a woman ruling the Northern Isles didn't go through with her, and she knew he had different motives for his crimes.

Yvonne stepped forward, seeping out of the darkness. The guard noticed her, so she braced for condemnation. He only questioned what she was doing down here again for the week.

"On behalf of my uncle, King Henrik, he assigned me to ask the prisoner questions based on his attack... _alone. _You may stand guard if you will." The guard looked sheepish by her explanation, but opened the door.

_He's a fool for not suspecting anything, _Yvonne thought.

She snuck Olaf in by having him underneath her cloak. The door shut and Olaf collapsed, gasping for breath. Yvonne brought out her paper and writing increment, then sat feet away from Emil. He narrowed his eyes at her, not in the confusing way of Olaf, but in a tormenting way.

"What a surprise." he mumbled.

"Listen," she hissed, stabbing her point of the paper, her eyes forming into a glare. "You're going to stop playing games with me. I do _not _buy that you're so caught up on the idea of a queen regnant to kill both my parents and attempt homicide on my uncle. You're hiding a different incentive, and my associate and I are going to find it-"

"Zoooooom," Olaf said, holding his nose up in the air, running around the chamber with it. Yvonne mentally slapped herself.

"Sure." Emil scoffed. "But what makes you think I've got a reason for killing and attempting murder?"

"Easy. You're a villain. Villains almost always have a deeper background for their crimes. So, what makes Captain Emil Petrov a villain? What does he have against the men of the Northern Isles Royal Family?" She opened her journal without looking.

"You honestly think I'll talk?"

"No. But he'll make you talk." Yvonne gestured to Olaf.

Emil chuckled dryly. Olaf and Yvonne glanced knowingly at each other. Plan B would go into play: Olaf talking Emil's ears off. Olaf fixed his nose back on his face, then pounced in front of the prisoner. He started saying, "On the first day I was 'alive,' even though I still don't know what that means, I walked down the North Mountain, taking in the rich, blizzard-y view. But it was all white... White was really, really bland for winter. I was thinking, 'Why not some crimson? Chartreuse? Yellow?' But yellow in snow would look awful..."

Yvonne saw the dreaded look on Emil's face and smirked as Olaf kept expressing his origins to him.

* * *

_**Happy New Year! ~TwistedTelepath**_


	24. Changing the Game

**A/N: I lied guys! (Well, it wasn't a _complete _lie.) I didn't know I was going to make room for fanfiction today, and apparently, due to unknown circumstances, I'm here to deliver another chapter of this story. Cue triumphant music and applause!**

**fictionaddict24, yes, I have considered a Beta, and it's being handled. Thanks for the suggestion and your positive review!**

**Expect twists in this chapter. Very weird and whoa-not-expecting-that twists... O_O**

**Disclaimer: Frozen with all its icy beauty belongs to the epic hands of Disney Studios, I'm just a girl with half a life and MacBook.**

* * *

_Chapter 24: Changing the Game_

Darkness was beginning to roll across the sky, spotted by Elsa through the window. The sunset was rolling in with its brilliant colors. She knew her time with Henrik was coming to an end for the day. That was the worst part about the end of the day. It wasn't like she would miss him, since he was right down the hall. It was leaving him unattended that disturbed her nerves a little. Finn and the chambermaids would have to rest ultimately. In six months, she learned that anybody could attack or betray you, despite if you had known or loved them.

"What's troubling you?" she heard him ask.

Elsa dragged her gaze back to Henrik, saying, "I'm going to have to leave you to rest."

He mused laughter. "Come now. I'll see you tomorrow after the doctors come."

Elsa realized how silly she was being, so she brushed off the childish attitude and composed herself again to appear serious. "Right. Sleep well, okay?" She placed a gentle kiss on his forehead, then got up to exit his room. Finn closed the door once she was out.

As she travelled to her bedroom, her arms hugged her body and her fingers dug into the white fabric of her sleeves. She knew she couldn't possibly be sad about it, considering that she actually got to see the lad. She didn't mean to seem rude, but thanks to the accident, she and Henrik were becoming closer as the days went by. Making Henrik happy while he was in his condition was her priority at the moment (along with catering to her kingdom, of course).

"Queen Elsa,"

Elsa twisted around, noticing that Kai had addressed her. She responded, "Yes, Kai?"

"The Council wishes to speak with you."

Elsa tried to hold back her groan and roll of eyes, following him anyway. What could the Council want with her _this _time? Conceivably, this meeting concerned how trading would play out between Arendelle and the Northern Isles, seeing that the king, the one who determined what was what, was bedridden and unable to attend to the matters. Although, she couldn't believe that just yet. She'd have to _arrive _at the meeting first to see for herself.

Reaching the conference room, Kai proclaimed her arrival, making all the gentlemen who were present rise. She sat in her throne-like chair, straightening her posture. Though she was in her nightgown, she didn't attract unneeded attention. Half of the group along with her were in their night apparel, meaning that poor Kai had to round-up almost everyone out of bed. He took exited the room.

Finn, who reminded Elsa of the guard with the same name, folded his hands on the table. His dark eyes looked exasperated, but his words were still a ring in the ears, so to speak.

"Think of this as a checkup," he said. "We are aware the recent unfortunate events involving His Majesty, King Henrik, but this does not stall the time period of the Northern Isles Royal Court's decision."

Elsa chose not to flinch, but spoke, "Have you not considered that part of the Royal Court in the Northern Isles might be conspiring against the king as well? According to what I have heard, Emil and the guard weren't the only ones apart of this cult. It has been in session since the beginning of King Adrian's rule. There are still active members among Henrik's council, no doubt, along with people of his own kingdom."

"These affairs are none of our responsibility, Your Majesty," Johanne advised smoothly. Secretly, Elsa was glad to have another feminine voice on the Council, though it was unusual for a woman to have a place on the Royal Council. As Minister of Foreign Affairs, she was doing quite well for herself. "It's up to the ministers of that council to uncover the accomplices. Arendelle's Court should not intervene. It would only engage both kingdoms in back and forth controversy."

Elsa admired her words, but questioned her strategy. She wanted to do something about the traitors, despite them not belonging to her kingdom.

"Now, pardon me, Majesty," said Finn, "As I was saying, since the king's accident, the compassion in you has been utterly noticeable, which attracts questions from the people. Most are actually rooting for a relationship between the King of the Northern Isles and the Queen of Arendelle. You are a reasonably good actress, portraying the love you have for the king as real."

"It is real." Elsa confirmed, narrowing her eyes.

Finn looked stunned, like the queen slapped him in the face. A few cabinet members looked this way. "Excuse me for deciding so, my queen. It is just that..."

"Just that what?"

"The way you appear to some of your people is cold and powerful, ineligible of love for anyone other than your sister." Leif said for Finn. As usual, the man was blunt with everything that escaped his running mouth.

Elsa chose not to point this out as well. "I love many people, Leif. My sister, my mother and father, all my subjects, and my homeland. If some of my people determine to overlook me for my abilities and indiscretions instead what truly lies beneath, that is up to them. Those who know me beyond this know the truth. Some of you have known me since I was Princess of Arendelle, young and free-spirited. Yes, I have done things that may have had brash consequences, but do I look like a monster to any of you? Someone incompetent to love or show affection to others?"

"No, Your Majesty." he said, swiftly rolling his eyes. She decided to remain calm at his ignorance. Other shook their heads along with him.

"Thank you. So yes, I do have attraction to the king, though I ask that you may not spread my private life out to the people, please. No, I am not saying that I will marry him next _week_... but I do have the slight feeling that this may happen before the deadline. Especially considering the emotional backlash the turn of events have had on the young princess and His Majesty himself."

**.:.^*^.:.**

"... So _then, _after Kristoff put me back together, Anna started to worry about going back home with the harsh weather still in the air. But he pointed out that her hair was turning white. At first, I thought she was just having an accelerated aging or stress, since after all, Elsa, her sister, _did _completely and literally kick us out of her ice palace. But it turned out she was freezing from the inside-out, but I'll elaborate on that _later_..." Olaf continued, chuckling and rolling his eyes.

Emil looked like he was ready bang his head against the bricks of the cell, dreading every minute Olaf was talking. Yvonne smiled with delight, loving every minute of his torture. If she didn't get to know he was going to face death, at least she got entertainment from his dismay. If she was lucky, she'd get to enjoy more of this until the guard came back. Though, she worried over his prolonged disappearance and surprised that this interrogation was actually lasting.

She also tuned out of Olaf's storytelling.

"... found out that Kristoff's name was _Kristoff _instead of Sven," He laughed, "then the trolls sprang into this song. It was really upbeat, though, and Kristoff and Anna almost got married-"

"Enough!" roared Emil, droopy eyes and all. He panted, trying to break from his detainment, his expression raging mad. "I'll tell you, just make that gremlin shut that hole in his face!"

Olaf and Yvonne exchanged smirks. She held up her journal, ready to write.

Emil sighed, relaxing himself, then continuing, "It's more of a grudge, really. Coming to the new land and entering the kingdom was a shock to me, being requested by late Queen Agnetha to lead her guard. She heard of my work for the elected officials of Bulgaria. She had a bleeding heart towards me, and there were moments when we shared more than living space, unknown to her husband. He didn't treat her well." Yvonne's eyes went wide, not bothering to hide the disgust on her face. He had a fling with her _grandmother_? "I loved her, more than anyone. But then she gave birth to Adrian. She became busy raising her son, making less time for me."

_Sounds like he's jealous to me, _Yvonne thought. _But that's not a good reason to _kill _my father!_

"One night, she managed to sneak a visit to me. We made love. I could tell she was happy with me instead. But we were caught... by the person I least expected: Eight-year-old Prince Adrian. He was absolutely mortified by this discovery. Agnetha begged him not to tell his father. He held the secret for eight years, then cracked. He told his father everything about us. King Emanuel killed his wife for disobeying him, just after Henrik was born, and settled on making me suffer.

"At first, I was suspecting his retaliation immediately, besides killing my lovely Agnetha. But once Adrian was twenty-years old and Henrik was three, he committed suicide, leading all traces of the murder to me. They locked me up until the Adrian's coronation one year later. Henrik, shocklingly being as small and smart as he was, also inheriting his mother's grace, convinced his brother that I did not kill their father. The guards released me, but I still held a high grudge against Adrian for destroying my love life, especially since I had to work for my title."

"Still, if Henrik saved you from death, why kill him?" Olaf asked.

"My thought exactly. Where is this tale going?" Yvonne chimed. She tried to extract the thought of her grandmother making _love _with Emil, along with her grandfather murdering her without the knowledge of the then-Royal Court.

Emil looked impatient, but finished his story. "As Adrian's rule took off, certain parts of the kingdom protested against him, feeling unjust to his new rules and commands. I noticed his stress, yes, and at first, I was not fazed by it. But as Sonja grew weak from worrying along with him, I regretted plotting against him, turning down all invitations to join the growing cult in the kingdom, _Døde Hersker_, meaning-"

"Dead ruler." translated Yvonne. Although confused by how this story was going to end up to where they were today, she said, "Keep going, sorry."

"I lied before." The pain looked visible in his eyes, but she didn't want to believe it. "The fire was meant for me. The _Døde Hersker _thought of me as a traitor, a coward. Instead, they got what they wanted in a different way. Adrian and Sonja died that night. You were scarred horribly. Henrik hurried back from his ventures to see his dead loved ones. Part of me wanted to feel sorry for him, but I was angry. I may have been angry at Adrian for telling, but Henrik was absent in being there for his brother and sister-in-law. He didn't seem to care about anything while they suffered, before the fire. He drank and enjoyed life. You expect me to believe that painting _lights _is more important than your own family? All my rage focused on him now, mourning his brother."

He looked at her sincerely as he said, "I wept the other day because I could not stop the fire from tearing you away from your family, not because I was Adrian's best friend. You, the sweet and pure young girl you were. I wanted you to be queen. I didn't want to be reminded of Adrian when I looked at Henrik, and I certainly did not want any more of Henrik. So I conspired on my own, forming a group among the guards of the palace. But the cult is still very much alive back home. I _will _tell you who they are, so that this burden will haunt you no longer."

Part of Yvonne didn't want to believe this. She wanted to believe that he was lying, but his expressions appeared so genuine. She finished up her notes.

"Later. Right now, I have to get back before this whole thing falls apart." She beckoned Olaf and the two left without a farewell. Yvonne wasn't sure if he deserved it.

* * *

_**Kisses! ~TwistedTelepath**_


	25. Risks to Take

**A/N: I made a few age changes in the last chapter, noticing that some of the ages that I put down totally affected the ages that I mentioned in early chapters. **

**The reason I haven't updated was because I had a family emergency, and I just got back from the hospital. I'm trying my best to cope with it and deliver good writing for you guys, but it's kind of stressful on my part. I'll _try_ to update today for chapters 26 and 27... okay?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen, though I have a creative imagination.**

* * *

_Chapter 25: Risks to Take_

The following morning was oozing with silence. Yvonne laid awake in bed, no longer thwarting against Emil. Her hatred and pain-inspired desires for him had subsided a bit, now that the story had met the light. She revised the facts in her head, reading them silently off her journal's pages. She groaned, hiding her urge to gag. It was more than disgusting. It bothered her more than anything. All this talk of affairs and murders in her family made her sick, almost literally.

She had a choice to make now. Either believe Emil's story and organize an easy punishment for him, or sentence him to execution, throwing his complicated story out of her mind. She didn't know if there was any evidence behind his words, but she did have a list of the alleged _Døde Hersker _clan. Many of the names were people she knew for half of her life. It was unbelievable how many people she could trust now. The numbers were sparse and thinning with every discovery she made.

Yvonne decided she had to tell someone to make sure, but it would take time. Her uncle had every guard and servant think she was a psychopath.

Her moment came momentarily, knocking on her door.

"Yvonne," Finn said, gently tapping his fist against the door, "your uncle wishes to see you."

With a smile on her face, Yvonne galloped towards the door and opened it.

"Sure." she told him, tossing her hair out of her face.

At the sight of her departure, the guards stationed in front of her room dispersed. She turned her head as Finn led her through the passageways, finally making it to Henrik's bedchamber undisturbed. Finn stretched out to open the door for her, but she stopped him, flashing on her best smile.

"Thank you, Finn, I've got it." said Yvonne. The guard stood his post beside the door as she entered. Tatia, one of Queen Elsa's handmaidens, was just taking away the empty bowls leftover from the king's morning meal. Yvonne greeted her quickly, though trying not to seem too hasty. Once she and Henrik were left in complete privacy, Yvonne said, "Good morning, Uncle Henrik." wrapping her hand around her wrist.

"Good morning, sweetheart," he said, rising to sit up straighter. "I see you're looking much better."

She didn't react to this, only nodding. "I've had time to think."

"And by 'think,' do you mean 'sneak down to the cells and _question _Emil on _my behalf_'?" he asked pointedly, smirking.

Yvonne sputtered, half-dumbstruck. She knew he would find out about her expedition sooner or later, but not the day after it happened. Hopefully, her snowy friend would not get into any trouble because of her. She held out the list of names and gave it to him. He surveyed it, then looked at her, expecting an explanation. She went forth in repeating the story Emil told her last night.

Whilst she stayed stunned after the story, her uncle forced his breakfast back down his throat, green eyes wide with fear. She nodded slowly, staring out the window at the winter landscape. Every speck of vegetation had white snow brushed on it, and they were waving to her with the gusts of wind.

"I knew he didn't kill him," Henrik said belatedly. "But my _mother_? You expect me to believe that _my _mother and Emil had an affair for sixteen years? And you want me to believe my father murdered my mother? He told me she died in labor, giving birth to me."

"I'm not sure either, but we have to at least take these names into consideration and _see _if these people are behind the fire." Yvonne pleaded, taking his hand. She needed to know if Emil's words were true. "_Please_, Uncle Henrik. Emil wouldn't just make up all of that. I saw it in his eyes. He showed true affection, and hatred, and authentic emotions whilst telling his story."

Henrik put on a face, possibly contemplating what she was saying. After a few minutes of him being in this state, Yvonne got up to leave, but he tugged on her hand. She curved around, confident that his decision was no.

Instead she heard, "I'll ask Finn to send a message. The Royal Court will question these traitors of their treason, and if guilty, sentenced to death for their crimes."

Yvonne wrapped her arms around him, careful not to bother his wounds.

**.:.^*^.:.**

So far, being Anna's protector wasn't an easy job—because she wasn't making it easy. If it was deliberately or unintentionally, Kristoff couldn't tell. Anna just found a way to turn him from her protector into her servant. In retrospect, he should have seen it coming, putting together how she didn't want to feel like a little girl, being protected twenty-four-seven and how oddly willing she was to put up the deal with him.

How did he come to this realization?

Well, first, she claimed she felt tired two days ago, so she had him carry her up the stairs to her bedroom. Second, she convinced him that picking up her the book she dropped was a great way to protect her, seeing if there were magically tiny intruders creeping on the floors.

He questioned why he went along with that one.

Now the thing that made him grow suspicious was how she wanted him to feed her breakfast this morning. (Again, a thing he questioned himself for doing.) It took a trip away from her, into town to buy more carrots for Sven (since he didn't like the fancy palace carrots) to realize she was doing this to him on purpose. She was smarter than she looked... or she could have just been really lazy.

Towards nightfall, Kristoff searched for Anna, finding her on top of one of the castle towers' roofs. At first, he thought she was crazy, but then knew this must've been typical of her, since the guards weren't doing anything expect standing around the perimeter.

"Kristoff!" she shouted. "Come on up!"

"How do you suppose I do that?" he retorted, shaking his head. She pointed to a flight of stone stairs. He hmph'ed, making his way up the long staircase. He didn't even realize there was a staircase leading to the apex of the castle.

"I never noticed that before." he pointed out.

"That's because you don't look hard enough," she teased musically.

After a while, he reached the top of the structure, sitting next to her. From the view, he could see the semi-thawing scene of Arendelle, all Christmas decorations taken down days ago. The houses were plain now, the only decoration on them being the frost and snow leftover from the heavy snowfall three days ago.

"It's great up here, isn't it?" she asked, leaning her head on his shoulder.

He sucked in his breath, looking at the red waves fall on his shoulder. He had never seen her without a bun or her braided pigtails. She looked beautiful, though she looked beautiful every day. He stretched his arm around her, grasping her shoulder.

"Yeah... and dangerous." he remarked.

"Well, as protector, you shouldn't have let me out of your sight. I could have stayed inside, you know." Anna smirked, narrowing her sapphire eyes at him.

He sighed, pulling her closer. "I know you're doing all of this on purpose. And I get it. You're a big girl, you don't need me."

"I _do_ need you," she corrected. "Just not in the way you think." Kristoff smiled. "I need you to be the person who reprimands me when I mess up. You don't have to stretch limits and change who you are to me. I like the way you are. I like _us_."

"Okay. The deal's off. Just do me a favor?" he asked.

"Wha–"

She didn't get to finish. He gently pressed his lips on hers, shutting his eyes. He held her back, then moved one hand to cradle her head. He felt that she didn't fight it. She had her arms around his neck. Their kisses were always sweet. They had passion in their own way.

* * *

**_Kisses! ~TwistedTelepath_**


	26. Little Princess

**A/N: Thank you to those who wished me the best in my tough situation. You have a special place in my heart. There might be only a few more things to sought out in this story, and I cannot be rushed in updating, considering what's going on. You guys understand that, and I love you for that. Thank you again for respecting this.**

**Disclaimer: I don't have any rights to Frozen for very obvious reasons.**

* * *

_Chapter 26: Little Princess_

Two weeks had rolled by, enough for Elsa to notice Henrik's increase in health. He had an instructor who helped him move his arm every morning and night. Henrik also thought he had become "flabby" from staying in bed so long, so every morning after instruction, he would surround himself with the portraits in the palace, then exercise (one-handedly), something Elsa thought was impossible, though she didn't mind watching him use his left arm to elevate himself, especially when he didn't have a blouse on. He managed to push himself up constantly with that one hand, sweat streaming down his face when he did.

In between building back up his strength, getting back into shape, and whatever else he was up to, Elsa feared Henrik forgot about what would be arriving at the end of the month—his niece's birthday. So, the queen decided to take things in their own hands.

"Anna," Elsa called, seeing the strawberry blonde prance down the hall. She hurried backwards when she heard Elsa call.

"Yes?"

"I need your help. We need to plan Yvonne a party."

Anna made a face. "I thought Henrik was planning her a ball."

Elsa crossed her arms beneath her chest. "Think of the recent turn of events. They have affected everyone, whether emotionally, physically, or mentally. We are all trying to piece back what is normal one day at a time."

"So... the point is Henrik never finished planning her ball?" Anna asked, tilting her head. Elsa sighed, nodding. "Yeah, I'll help. I think Yvonne needs a little cheering up. She's been so tense lately. She really needs something to make her happy."

"I agree. Sadly, neither of us are that close to Yvonne to know what she likes."

Anna smirked, raising her eyebrows. She nudged her elbow softly towards Elsa. "But we know someone who _does_."**  
**

As if almost on-cue, Olaf came shuffling down the hall, humming. Elsa perceived Anna's reference, and called the snowman towards the two of them, pleading to speak with him immediately. He halted sharply, then came marching towards them with narrowed eyes.

"Yes, ma'am?" he asked.

"You're going to be our special guide in planning Yvonne's birthday party," Anna told him, crouching down to his level. He looked unsure of her words. "You know... Tell us what kinds of things she likes so we can try our best to make her wishes come true and whatnot."

Olaf bobbed his head, a goofy smile on his face. "I know! We can-"

Elsa cut him off by holding her hand up, aiming at his mouth. A cold freeze crept on his lips, frosting them together in a solid crystal before he could blab their business so that the whole castle could hear. The servants, no matter how warm and friendly they appeared, had a bad fetish for gossip, especially the chambermaids. If Yvonne heard everything they were planning, the surprise would be ruined.

"Not here. Come." Elsa turned clockwise, promptly leading her companions to their destination.

**.:.^*^.:.**

_If there was a choice, between saving a life and ending one, the choice would be obvious to make. But saving this life can lead many others to uncertain death. This person might kill the person they wish to kill, and ending that life might leave a country unprotected and without a ruler. This ruler has somewhat of an heir, although this young maiden is unable to pull the tasks of ruling a kingdom on her hands. She is hardly a woman. She has no knowledge of how the outside world thinks. She knows, however, that many people will use and abuse her, maybe for her looks or maybe for her power, words spoken by a man she loved dearly. She has not a living friend her own age. _

_Why would she? Who would want to befriend the scarred, sheltered princess who cannot assert what emotions she holds inside?_

_But to end this life who mean to lose a lifelong family friend, one who many trusted and respected. He may have lied, and he may have done things that he is shameful of, such as, courting the nation's queen of about two generations ago, but the grace and humanity he has shown to a lonely girl through her time of need is very generous. When she became depressed, he made her laugh. When she lost all hope, he made her yearn all over again. When she wanted to play, he entertained her. She may not have a friend her own age, but she had this one gentleman to soothe her distress, to make her feel like nothing was wrong in her life. She saw a friend in this one man.  
_

_So, if the choice is to end this life, there might a brief moment of relief, but there will be a friend lost. If the choice is to save this life, the maiden may lose the only family she has left, a person who was more than an uncle to her, but a father when she had none._

Yvonne stopped writing and shut her journal, feeling her writing was silly, though she should have let the ink dry first. She swallowed the enlarging lump in her throat, causing her eyes to burn. She sniffed, blinking the tears away.

Although she longed for the decision to lock Emil inside an impenetrable prison far away from the Northern Isles, she knew it couldn't be possible. It was either he died for his atrocities against the kingdom he swore to protect, or he lived, but was a living menace to Henrik. Writing down her feelings was always her go-to whenever everything felt out of hand, but it wasn't always the solution. Poetry, journal entries, and short stories could not always resolve the almost-impossible complications in her life, and she should not have relied on them to make her grief vanish.

She knew word from Arendelle would take a while to arrive to the Northern Isles, but the more she anticipated it, the slower the results came. She dreaded what the Court would decide. At times, they were somewhat unreadable. Their decisions weren't always easy to agree on, but consulting them was the best chance to end the ongoing challenge of Emil's faith. Finding evidence, whether verbal or physical, of anything he described seemed preposterous and unattainable, unless the suspects he mentioned gave in to their wicked ways. His story was finally believable to her, but there was still something bothering her.

Emil still wanted Henrik off the throne.

He _did _rally guards against him to try to end his life. He _did _shoot the king. He _did _admit that he hated him for his "villainous" ways. Yvonne thought had a good reason to disagree.

Whilst around her father, she observed his tiresome state. He fretted over the protests made by the citizens. He worried about the backlash of the decrees he made, seeing how the people disapproved of them no matter what he did to curve them. He held all his emotion in, simply keeping an unmoving face around most, sometimes even his daughter and wife. But around his brother? He kept the best fake smile in the world. He joked and laughed (nervously) with him, pretending nothing was wrong in his world. He loved his brother with all his heart. He didn't want to pass on his anxiety and pressures to him. So, Yvonne could see why Henrik was carefree as a teenager. Abstracted from the darkness his older brother was keeping within, he thought he was happy. And while he knew he could never be king one day, he made up his mind to have fun with his life, enjoying what the days held.

Putting herself in both brother's shoes was tediously hard, since Yvonne didn't know if her guesses were true, but she felt that they were just.

Since Yvonne was in the Great Hall, writing in the light in contrast to her dark guest room, it wasn't hard to tell if someone was approaching. Her head bounced up from the pages as she heard footsteps. She paired them to Finn, who was coming her way. He bowed before handing her a loosely sealed scroll.

She tampered with the seal and began to read what was on it. Her eyes widened. She tried to grasp her breath, but it wasn't there.

The Royal Court's decision was to behead Emil for treason, at the public's view.

* * *

**I just can't let go of cliff-hangers.**

_**Kisses! ~TwistedTelepath**_


	27. The Unexpected Turn

**A/N: Special thanks to Mr. Boar for the lovely review. You've always been a great help! (I'm a girl, by the way) The situation I have is sort-of drastic, but hopefully, the hospital will have some sort of WiFi, so I can update from there.**

**Short chapter alert...**

**Ugh... I've noticed that this story is now revolving around the OCs. This is a PROBLEM(!)**

**As you all have noticed, the plotline has been dying down, all the only serious matter occurring at the moment involves Yvonne and Emil's strained friendship and blah, blah, blah. Well, once that becomes resolved, we will be parting ways for a while (a month at least). I've decided the new story's plot will center more importantly on Elsa and Henrik, but just because it focuses on them, doesn't mean we can't shine some spotlight on other characters... just not as much.**

**And... I think we'll wrap-up with 29 chapters, then half of a 30th chapter. Maybe a "did you know?" blurb.**

****The title of the story is still, however, undecided, and I'd love some suggestions from you guys! Please? Thank you!****

**Disclaimer: Frozen doesn't belong to me.**

* * *

_Chapter 27: The Unexpected Turn_

Yvonne spotted Henrik in his chambers, wiping perspiration from his forehead with a cloth, a putrid smell polluting the air. She shuddered. In contrast to her uncle, she _hated _sweat. It practically fumigated a room, filling it was horrid smells and a heat that she couldn't stand. But, she sucked up all her raw courage and stepped into the room.

She scrunched up her nose, asking, "Did you know of this?" She handed him the rolled-up parchment. He opened it, scanning through what the words said. He nodded. Yvonne scrunched up her nose in disgust, saying, "A _public _beheading? Are you serious?"

"Hey, the Court is the one who decided Emil's punishment, I just confirmed it." he said as his defense. "Yvonne, you have to understand that the man _hates _me with a passion. He attempted to take me away from you. What's to say he won't try it again?"

Yvonne froze, replaying his words in her mind, then repeating Emil's story.

_You expect me to believe that painting _lights _is more important than your own family? All my rage focused on him now, mourning his brother..._

"You're right," she sighed, tensing up. Her eyes flicked from him to the ground. "He tried to kill you, and he will try again. He deserves what comes to him..." Henrik's hand went to her shoulder, slightly weighing her down. She knew her uncle was right. He was the only piece of family she had left. Family meant everything to her. The mere thought of losing her uncle a first time nearly drove her mad, but _actually _losing him? Tragedy. Heartbreak. Complete insanity.

"Sorry." Her voice came out shaky. Weak.

"Sorry for what? Emil is the one who needs to apologize." Henrik said, taking his hand from her shoulder. He engulfed her in a hug before she could respond, his arms squeezing her tightly. He let her go, smiling. "The day we return home is the day he pays."

Yvonne knew the situation was dealt with, but she wasn't sure if she was happy about it or not.

**.:.^*^.:.**

By the time night fell, Elsa had an idea of what to do for Yvonne's birthday. From what Olaf told her, Yvonne didn't want an elaborate ball held in her honor. She wanted something simple. She just wanted to be surrounded by the people she loved, whether it was with a cake or not. She cherished the people she loved. Cherishing family was an easy thing to understand. Elsa didn't know what she would do if she lost Anna. The experience with her sister being a frozen ice sculpture flashed through her mind, making her shiver.

She couldn't help but wonder what would happen when Henrik and Yvonne returned home. Would everything just snap back to normal when they left? There was still the deadline. There was still a cult out against Henrik. There were still so many problems to be figure out. There was still danger lurking out there, probably waiting for them when he returned home. And according to the Court, Elsa couldn't get mixed-up in foreign affairs without permission from the minister. She would have to stay domestic, staying out of the way.

But could she really cope with doing that?

Elsa tried to block all of the drama out of her mind when Anna entered her bedroom. She showed her a sincere smile. The redhead was loosing her hair from her braids, already in her nightgown for bed.

"You think she'll like it?" Anna asked.

"I hope she does."

"You know, at first, I thought you were doing the whole thing for Henrik instead of Yvonne." Anna taunted her by puckering her lips, making smooching sounds. Elsa gave her a solid face, suppressing an eye roll.

"I'm doing this to make _her _happy."

"And if Henrik's happy, extra points?"

Usually, Elsa would have maintained a calm and collected attitude, but instead, she took a pillow from her bed and hit Anna in the shoulder. Anna gaped at her, more stunned than entertained, but recompensed by whacking Elsa with a pillow. Elsa laughed, replaying her previous hit, although Anna ducked out of the way. The battle continued until both were exhausted, laying on the bed, feathers laced in their hair.

If she didn't make anyone happy, at least she still had her sister.

**.:.^*^.:.**

"Did anyone see anything from the gates?"

"No, it must have been discreet."

Kristoff tried to avoid overhearing all this. He wanted to focus on head-counting all his supplies. Due to a last-minute request, he'd have to head down to the lake. He would probably end up groggy in the morning, but this patron had made him a very generous offer, and he couldn't turn that down. But the frantic tone in the guards' voices alarmed him, and so did the questions.

"Make sure everyone is safe inside their homes," advised another guard, coming up to the two men.

"Should we alert the queen?"

"Of _course _you should alert the queen! What do you think this is? A market robbery?" the man exclaimed. "There's a culprit on the loose! He probably wants to avoid his scheduled execution. We need to find him, even if it means doing King Henrik a favor and slicing his head off ourselves. Now, move!"

"Yes, sir."

If Emil was on the loose, that meant that nobody was safe.

Kristoff dropped everything and ran inside to warn everybody himself.

* * *

_**Kisses! ~TwistedTelepath**_


End file.
